The Last Rays of Twilight
by Seeker of the Soul
Summary: The Apocalypse has begun. Death itself will sweep like a plague across the lands and the only ones who have the potential to stem the tide of death are nowhere to be found. Truly it is the End of Days.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: Welcome all to the beginning of The Last Rays of Twilight, the final segment of the three part What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be trilogy. Read and enjoy. Also, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Only time I'm saying it for this story.

**The Last Rays of Twilight**

_**Prologue: Echoes of Days Past**_

The ground itself shook as hundreds of thousands of feet marched endlessly on through the night. Small fires lit the area, allowing a vague outline of the approaching army to be seen. The men standing by the fire quivered in fear, knowing what was soon to come.

"Stand tall men, remember who you serve! Remember who will stand at the front of our defense, we will annihilate these and all foes under the power of our god! YOU SERVE THE POWER OF ORDER, AND YOU CANNOT LOSE!" A ragged and half-hearted cheer rose amongst the huddled masses despite the inspirational words.

The one who had spoken didn't blame them. All of their advanced scouts had given word that the army that was heading for them numbered over five hundred thousand men, all of them battle hardened. _'Only we can stand between this army and the complete annihilation of our way of life. We cannot fall.'_

A sudden scream ripped him from his thoughts, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw a man not ten feet away with a long spear skewered through his belly. The fallen soldier stared at his stomach and the spear, gurgling on the blood that pooled in his throat. "The attack has come! Defend yourselves!"

Seconds after he had spoken a rain of spears showered down upon them, bringing with it a staggering death toll. The shields that they raised to fend off the spears did no good, because the spears simply were to heavy and too forceful to be stopped, they pierced through the shields and into men's flesh.

Screams of horror and death filled the air, clogging it up even more than the endless numbers of spears could. The man charged forwards, his swords held up high and his shield at the ready as his screamed his battle cry. All around him blood and death seemed to conquer all, but he wouldn't let that stop him. _'If I die, I die for order! I die for our god!'_

Mere moments later he plunged into the mass of enemy soldiers, swinging his sword with wild abandon. In his mind the men he hacked down weren't humans, they were weeds. It was the only way his brain could cope with the horror he was causing, with all the death he saw.

The image of weeds in his mind was shattered when a spear buried itself into his shoulder, and he hit the ground with his body wreathed in agony. He saw death just moments away, knew that it was coming as a shadow covered him, the sure sign that an enemy soldier was about to finish him off.

Suddenly the shadow was ripped away and he heard a distinct scream from above him. He dared to lift his head, and saw one of the enemy soldiers running in the opposite direction, his body covered in flames. "They've come!"

He looked back, and standing on the ridge next to the tent fires that the men had set up was a tall black haired figure in simple armor. Yet as unimpressive as he appeared, he was a godsend, quite literally. The man gestured with one hand and a ball of flame shot out from the fire and slammed into the ranks of enemy soldiers, incinerated a dozen of them.

A few hundred feet away blades of solid air ripped into the mass of men, cutting them in half as if they were test targets. At yet another spot amongst the enemy army the ground itself reached up and swallowed men whole. The carnage of death had begun.

Earth heaved, fire burned, air became death, the shadows came alive, light itself became so bright that it burnt the flesh from bones, and a tidal wave of water washed away a tide of men. The elements had come to life to annihilate the attacking army, and the brutal power was turning the battle in their favor.

The enemy ranks parted as a lone figure darted in amongst them, swinging his sword with deadly precision. It wasn't simply his sword that they parted for, but also for what came with that sword. With every swing of his blade flesh boiled under the assault of fire, the air turned thick and choked men to death, and the ground blew apart sending bodies flying. This man was death incarnate, the leader of the men that were turning the tide of battle.

The battle raged on and soon the night became day. The meager army that originally opposed the massive force was now cut down to a mere handful, but the bulk of the fighting was being done by a group of eight warriors, each one wielding devastating power. The enemy army was breaking, and its once massive force was reduced by nearly half. It was still deadly, but at this rate the army knew it couldn't win.

Hefting his sword over his shoulders the leader of these men smirked and started calmly walking into the ranks of the enemy army. The soldiers backed up, holding their spears at the ready. They had learned not to hurl their spears at these men, because inevitably those spears would simply come flying back at them. "Is that really all you men have to offer? Is there no force on this world that can oppose our power? You cannot stand against our might for you are merely mortal men!"

He chuckled in amusement, and motioned with his sword for the warriors behind him to follow. In that brief moment when he glanced back to see if they were following he was struck by a burst of raw power that sent him hurling through the air. "I oppose you."

The leader pulled himself up from the ground and turned to find a man standing at the head of the enemy army. His body seemed to be burning with a blue light, making his features undetectable. "You've got power...power like I've never felt before. What strength is it that's great enough to oppose us?"

The man extended his hand, and a beam of blue light shot out of it. The warrior flipped up into the air, the wind itself carrying him out of harms way. The blast struck the ground a hundred feet away and blew a sizable crater in it. "This is the power of the Hearts of Man...and it will be your end and the end of your god's threat!"

"Then let's see which is stronger! That's something I'd really like to find out!" Instantly he and his men charged forwards. A handful of auras sprang up amongst the enemy soldiers, and more opponents stepped forward to face them.

Both armies were torn asunder in the following hours of battle as the two groups of warriors battled, their powers raging so greatly that anything caught in the maelstrom was instantly killed. Together the armies turned and fled, trying to escape the raw power of death that had come to life in the battle field.

Then in the middle of this deadly battle, where death itself seemed to be alive, death truly came to life. The face of true death stared back at the combatants, and they knew fear, the knew precisely what death was. It was

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Dalin Imaki Sumatin jerked awake, sweat covering his body. Never before had he experienced such a vivid dream, never had he felt terror like that. "That was death incarnate...that was...that was the past?"

He frowned and reached across the bed and picked up the telephone. "If that was the past, there's only one person left in the world who can help me find out."

He dialed in a number he hadn't used in quite a few years, and waited as it began to ring. "The peace is going to break soon, I can feel it. When it does, there will be blood and death such as this world has never seen before."

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Author's Notes: Yes, I know it's short. However, it's just the prologue, so no worries.

_Next Time: Daisuke Ihachi has been living a peaceful life for quite some time, and he is happy. Peace is something that he can successfully enjoy, but there will always be annoyances, like work...and old acquaintances. _

_See it in all in, A Contented Peace_

_Review Response_


	2. A Contented Peace

Author's Note: This is officially the first chapter of the final segment of this trilogy. Keep in mind that the plot won't kick start in this chapter.

_**Chapter One: A Contented Peace**_

In the old days, when things had been shockingly simple, all Daisuke Ihachi had to worry about was not ticking off his boss and stopping evil madmen bent on annihilating the universe. Yes, those were the good old days.

Upon further reflection Daisuke, often called Drake, realized that the 'good old days' had in fact sucked. Yet still, there was something about that simplicity of 'good versus evil' that cried out to him. He wished he could return to at least that sort of simplistic lifestyle, as opposed to the life that he lead now.

In those days he had been a simple punk who happened to have access to magical energies, or something to that degree. Really when he looked back on it he hadn't been that simple, but it seemed simple at the time.

While the others had been figuring out what had happened, Drake had been placed in another dimension for reasons unknown to him at the time. Later he discovered the reason, and about nine months after Eikyuu was defeated he and his friends went on what they thought would be their final adventure, getting rid of all those loose ends.

Unfortunately, Drake had discovered that upon going to the other dimension that he had returned home to a time two days after he was supposed to take his college entrance exams. So he had become a ronin, working with Kaiba Corporation in its development of new games and such at Kaiba Land.

It had taken him close to a year before he was able to enter a college, mostly because he had to juggle his studies with his work at Kaiba Corp. During that year his success at work had begun a series of promotions, some of them just because Seto Kaiba trusted him.

Drake had felt lucky that he had successfully entered Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious nations, being ranked 13th best. It was also the perfect university for him to attend, because it was involved in Japan Study, a study abroad program linking the United States to Japan, allowing him to work with divisions of Kaiba Corp in both nations.

He was nearly finished with his final year at the university, and he was beginning to feel the extremes of stress, and realizing exactly why Seto Kaiba was an asshole the majority of the time. "Look, if they won't listen to reason then we're going to have to show them that Kaiba Corp won't stand for that sort of crap."

The twenty-three year old student frowned into the cell phone, stepping to the side to avoid another passing student as he walked across campus. He paused to listen, and then when he had an opening he spoke. "No, they can't play the money game with us and that's the entire point. If they think their political connections will help them oust us from this section of the gaming world then they've got another thing coming."

Looking up he briefly noticed a bike speeding towards him, and he dodged it without even blinking. A look of consternation appeared on his face as he continued to argue with the man on the other end of the line. "I don't care how rich and powerful the Manjyome Group think they are, they can't force Kaiba Corporation out. Duelist Academy is ours, and they can't buy it or wheedle their way in."

Drake growled into the phone, stopping outside of the classroom that he needed to go into. "Fine, if they're going to be such assholes about it then I'll deal with them myself. I'll drive out to the usual spot and you can send a chopper to meet me. I'll fly out to the island and deal with the Manjyomes personally."

He snapped the cell phone shut, and then dropped it into a pocket of his book bag. Sighing, he entered the room and found his usual seat. "At least class is normal. Nietzsche I can handle, but the politics of busy just gets on my nerves."

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On the continent of Asia, under the supervision of his superiors, Kai Kaethen poured over the recently unearthed texts, trying to learn their exact meaning and importance to history. He had graduated from Osaka University, the third highest ranked college in Japan just one year earlier, and was now working as an assistant to a historical findings team.

Using a brush he carefully wiped away some dust that was covering part of the Chinese character. He frowned, and then looked back at the previous character. "Living death? What in the world?"

Idly he wrote down the translation on a piece of paper, and then moved back to uncovering the next character. This was proving to be an interesting discovery so far, and he was glad to have been accepted as the assistant to this division. "This is the sort of work I've dreamed of doing. I'm unearthing history itself..."

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Those that had been involved in the battle with Eikyuu, those who had come to be known as 'The Fallen', had generally led peaceful lives for roughly five years. Only one amongst them had continued on a dark path, always treading where few would go, and eliminating the terrors that occasionally threatened their planet.

Dalin Imaki Sumatin made sure that none of these threats were ever discovered. There was no need for anyone else to become involved in relatively trivial manners. He had no need of help in a situation as simple as a self-absorbed billionaire who wanted to turn the Earth into a private resort. That had been an interesting experience, but not as dangerous as Eikyuu or the Dark Spirit.

That man's words had been rather interesting though. Before he and Dalin engaged in a duel so that Dalin could stop the man's plans in their tracks the billionaire had commented about Dalin's 'save the world' escapades. He had said: "If you keep going around trying to save the world there won't be any peace. If you want peace, you have to make it, now stop it from being undone."

Dalin frowned and glanced over at the deck that sat on the corner of his night table. "Was he right? But if he is, then the only way to truly have peace is to become in part what I have fought against. That can't be the way can it?"

With no answer, Dalin was forced to get into bed. In just a few short minutes he was asleep, but what he didn't know was that his sleep would soon be interrupted by dreams. Dreams of a terrible nature.

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"Here it comes!" The speaker was a short boy in a red uniform with oddly teal colored hair. He jumped up and down with glee, pointing up at an incoming helicopter which was due to land in just a few minutes.

A large number of teenagers had gathered to watch the plan land, and they all wore uniforms of either red, yellow, or blue. This particular group that was watching had three students in red, one in yellow, and another in blue. Off to the side was an irritated looking teenager in a black trench coat. "Haaa...the representative from Kaiba Corporation, a top duelist...I'm so excited! I want to duel him!"

The black trench coating wearing teen snorted, bringing their attention to him. "Judai, you'd be crushed like a bug against such a high ranked duelist. Besides, he's not here to deal with little boys like you."

The brunette in the red uniform identified as Judai didn't seem bothered by the other teen's coarse attitude, instead he just smiled. "Thunder-san, if I can defeat Yugi's deck, perhaps I can beat this guy as well. Either way, I'd love to duel him and find out!"

Each of his other friends just shook their heads in amusement and turned back to watch the helicopter land. Principal Sameshima, the head of the school, walked right up to the helicopter as it opened, and a man in his early twenties jumped out.

He wore a red t-shirt and a long black sleeveless trench coat that some identified as his trademark. Other than that his violet eyes and his russet-brown hair were his most distingushing feature. Sameshima smiled and offered his hand. "Good to see you again Mr. Ihachi."

Drake gladly took the principal's hand and shook it, still amused on the inside that a man twice his age called him 'Mr.'. "I've told you before Sameshima, just call me Drake. Even Kaiba calls me Drake, and he's my boss."

The older man grinned and then made a sweeping gesture to the student body. "As you can see we've grown since your previous visit last year, and our student body has become more diverse and impressive. In fact, as you may have heard we had a first year represent our school against North School just a few months ago."

Drake raised an eyebrow in surprise and scanned the crowd, looking at them to see who might be new students that he hadn't seen before. "So which one was it? Before I deal with the Manjyomes I'd like to meet this rising star of Duelist Academy."

Judai and his friends stared in shock as the KC representative and their principal walked in their direction. Finally the two men stopped in front of them, with the representative standing directly in front of Judai, towering over him. "So you're Judai, Duelist Academy's rising star?"

The brown haired Osiris Red student grinned and pointed a thumb back at himself. "That's me, the number one of Duelist Academy! Soon I'll be the number one of the world too! And these are Sho, Asuka, Daichi, Hayato, and Thunder-san."

A series of bows were exchanged between the group, with a slight pause as Drake looked at the boy who had been called 'Thunder-san'. "Manjyome Jun I presume? Youngest of the Manjyome Group?"

The teenager nodded, and then folded his arms across his chest in a smug manner. "Show me the respect I deserve. It's _the_ Manjyome to you!"

Drake rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. _'So that's where the 'Thunder-san' comes from. Nobody told me that he was a miniature Kaiba.'_

"Sir sir sir, I want to duel!" The principal looked bug-eyed that one of his students was directly challenging someone who was his boss. However, when he looked over at Drake he saw that the younger man was smiling in amusement.

"You've certainly got a great love of the game, I'll give you that. However, don't expect me to simply go easy on you. If you want to become the number one of the world, you'll have to really show true power and a true duelists' heart. So go ahead, show me your strength." Drake grinned and slid his deck out of his back pocket, and then motioned to Manjyome. The teenager scowled and handed him his DD3, which Drake fitted over his arm.

In a similar fashion Judai grinned, bouncing from foot to foot as he settled his DD3 on his own arm, and then pressed the activation button. At once they cried out the acceptance of the challenge. "Duel Start!" (DLP: 4000, JLP: 4000)

Judai drew six cards as fast as he could, and then looked them over. Finally he settled on a move. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman(800/2000) in defense mode, and then I'll set one card face down. End move!"

Drake continued to smile as he casually drew, and looked over his hand of cards, deciding what method he could use to counteract the defense power of Clayman. Elemental Heroes were an interesting set of monsters, but required great skill to use effectively. "Get ready Judai, because I'm coming at you fast. Muse of Light(1400/1500) in attack mode!"

An attractive woman in an elegant white toga was instantly produced by the holographic matrixes of the Solid Vision System. She stood across from the brown bulky warrior who crouched in a defensive position. "Muse of Light attacks, activating her special ability!"

The woman extend her left arm, and light exploded from the tips of her fingers, shining over Clayman. The hero rose from his crouched position and stumbled backwards, crying out as the light burnt him to ashes. Judai stared at his empty monster zone in surprise. "Huh? What happened to Clayman?"

"Muse of Light can switch the mode of any monster on your field once per turn, so I attacked Clayman and changed him from defense position to attack position. Since Clayman had a weaker attack, he was destroyed. Pretty simple." Judai met Drake's grin even as his life points fell. (JLP: 3400)

"I set one card face down, and that completes my turn." Judai immediately drew, ready to make a comeback with his next move.

"I play Warrior Returning Alive, and pick up Clayman from the cemetery. Now I activate Polymerization, the ultimate power of the Elemental Heroes. By combining Clayman with Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400) I can create Elemental Hero Thunder Giant(2400/2000)!" A powerful looking warrior with a bulky upper body and smaller lower body now replaced both monsters, and held up a crackling fist.

"Elemental Hero Thunder Giant can instantly destroy one monster in play with a lower attack strength than it, so Muse of Light dies!" The hero punched Drake's muse in the chest, blowing her into a million different fragments.

"Now I normal summon Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) in attack mode!" He slapped down the monster card, and instantly a red suited female hero jumped out into play, landing right next to the much larger hero.

Drake just continued to grin, not bothered by the theatrics as his two monsters posed together. "Thunder Giant attacks you directly! Thunder Fist!" A blast of electricity shot for Drake, who swiftly depressed a button on his duel disk.

"Sometimes the simplest methods are best. Magic Cylinder negates your attack and deals your monster's attack as damage to your life points!" A pink tube appeared in front of Drake and promptly absorbed the attack. Then a second tube appeared, and the energy fired out of it and slammed into Judai's chest. (JLP: 1000)

"That's okay, Burst Lady attacks you directly!" With flaming fists the female hero attacked Drake, slamming one burning hand into the duelist's cheek. Drake slid backwards slightly, but immediately shook it off. (DLP: 2800)

"Good play Judai, however you forgot one thing. You burned out virtually your whole hand, and now you have a weak monster in attack mode with few life points left. I on the other hand have most of my life points, and four cards in my hand. What will you do?" Drake smiled, wondering whether this kid was really as good as the principal implied.

"I'll do this! Activate face down card, Mirage of Nightmare! Then I set the last card in my hand face down and end my turn!" Drake sighed and shook his head, then he drew. He recognized the potential combo, but he wasn't impressed.

"Everybody and his uncle uses that combo kid, but don't expect it to work against me. Now, I start by summoning Angel Magister(900/1900) in attack mode!" A heavenly looking man with widespread angel's wings appeared wearing magician's robes.

"Now I activate Quick-Play Thief, which lets me name one quick-play magic card, and if it exists in the opponent's deck they place it into my hand. In exchange I have to sacrifice one monster." He pointed at Angel Magister, and the monster faded away. (DLP: 4700)

"When Angel Magister goes from the field to the cemetery I gain its defense as life points. Now, I name Defusion." Judai frowned and searched through his deck, then tossed Drake the Defusion card that he kept.

"Activate magic card, Defusion! I'll split Thunder Giant down into his base components, stripping you of your strongest attacker!" Sparkman and Clayman reappeared, and Judai gripped his four card hand tightly.

"I bring back Sparkman in attack and Clayman in defense. Also, during your standby phase Mirage of Nightmare let me draw four cards." Drake nodded, and then held up another card from his hand.

"I play the magic card Unity Power-Darkness, which lets me select one dark type Unity Magician and add it to my hand, however that monster can't be summoned during this turn." He too searched through his deck before discovering the card he wanted.

"Next I set two cards face down and end my turn." Drake slid two of his remaining three cards onto his duel disk, and then confidently folded his arms, awaiting Judai's move.

Judai drew, and then pointed to his face down card. It flipped up, revealing a quick-play magic card. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards to gain one thousand life points, so I sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare to gain one thousand life points and keep my hand!"

Drake immediately pointed to one of his two set cards, and it flipped up. "Negative Morality costs one thousand life points, but it instantly negates one effect used by the opponent! So Emergency Provisions fails, and you have to randomly discard four cards from your hand!" (DLP: 3700)

The brown haired Osiris Red frowned, but dumped four cards into his grave anyways. Then he looked at his hand and grinned triumphantly. "You're good mister, but not good enough. My luck and skill is just too good for that to matter, because I activate the effect of a monster in my grave!"

A sinister looking red formed monster appeared behind Judai, its body covered in spectral purple light. "I use Element Hero Necro Darkman's ability to special summon Elemental Hero Edgeman(2600/1400) from my hand to the field!"

A golden armored hero with serrated arm blades now stood beside the three other heroes, and each of them struck a pose. "Here we go, Edgeman attacks directly!"

"Like I said before, the best methods are often the simplest. Reveal trap card, Mirror Force!" Judai's eyes went wide as his three attack mode monsters were obliterated, leaving him with only Mirage of Nightmare and Clayman on the field. With nothing else to do his turn was over.

Drake held up his drawn card and then flipped it around for all to see. "Mystic Box now encloses your Clayman in a special box."

A box with question marks on it appeared, and then a second one. Clayman entered the first, and then Drake motioned to the second. "Now, swords will rain down!"

Just as he said it, dozens of swords slammed into the empty box, leaving the watchers blinking in confusion. "Let's open it shall we? A magician's most basic trick is slight of hand, and in the blink of an eye I transferred your Clayman from its box...to mine."

The door opened, revealing Clayman skewered by dozens of swords. He shattered into a million pieces, and then the boxes faded away. Manjyome smirked as he watched his rival's eyes go wide with the sudden realization that he had nothing between him and his opponent.

"Demon Magister(1900/700) is my method of attack. Go, finish the duel!" A horned magician appeared, and jumped straight across the field, slamming his bladed staff across Judai's chest, knocking the Osiris Red backwards. (JLP: 0)

Judai blinked as a hand dropped in front of his face. He took it and was quickly hauled up by Drake, who smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "You did good kid, you've got a lot of potential. Keep on dueling and one day you just might become number one."

The younger duelist grinned right back, and gave Drake a thumbs up. "What a fun duel!"

"So, this is the Director of Special Projects at Kaiba Corp, the young Daisuke Ihachi. You're more impressive than I would have guessed, but you're still just a lackey." Drake rolled his eyes and then turned on his heel, discovering two well-groomed black haired men in suits.

"Chosaku and Shouji, some of the top men in the political and corporate sectors respectively. And now I hear you want to have your little brother Jun worm your way into the gaming world. Well, Duelist Academy belongs to Kaiba Corporation, so back off or we'll reveal the sort of scum you are. And you aren't well-liked enough to survive that sort of blow." The two brothers frowned, and then leaned in to consult with each other.

Finally they turned and smirked at Drake. "We anticipated you might say something like that, so we in turn have prepared a few statements about you and your boss, statements that will bring to light some unpleasant factors of your past."

"So we're at a stalemate then aren't we? Then again...you challenged your little brother to stop you buying out the academy, only to lose and have your attempt to purchase the academy halted by our efforts. So what else do you think you can do?" The youngest Manjyome snorted in amusement at the look on his brother's face.

"Fine. You want a solution, then I've got one, prepared just in case. If you or any other representative of Kaiba Corporation can defeat our representative in a duel, then you don't have to worry about us making further attempts on Duelist Academy. But if our representative wins, then allow us one further attempt on Duelist Academy with no opposition." There was a slight pause, and then finally Drake smirked.

"Some people just have weird business methods, but if it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you'll get. Who's the representative, and when do we duel?" A sudden burst of laughter brought everyone's attention to the right, where a man about Drake's age was walking towards them.

He had shockingly white blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a navy blue jumpsuit that made him look rather foolish. "I shall be your opponent Daisuke Ihachi! Prepare to face your ultimate opponent on the field of battle once again!"

He raised his duel disk clad arm into the air, posing as if he was expecting lightning to strike at the sound of his voice. All he got were crickets. "Ummm...again? Do I know you?"

The man fell flat on his face, and then jumped back up, clenching his fists and shouting with rage. "OF COURSE YOU DO! I AM YOUR ULTIMATE OPPONENT, LUCAS BRAUNHAM!"

Lucas released the breath he had been holding in, and his face began to return to a normal color. However, the color started to come back when he saw that Drake didn't have a look of recognition on his face. "I'm sorry but...whoever you are you're just not important enough for me to remember."

"Bastard! You ruined my life when you defeated me in Battle City! I became the laughing stock of my nation, defeated by some unknown punk! My name was soiled, and it has never returned! Now I'm going to crush you for that loss, so let's duel!" He extended his arm, and his DD3 slid into position. (LLP: 4000)

Drake blinked, and finally it dawned on him exactly who he was facing. "You're Lucas Braunham, the guy whose ass I kicked in my first Battle City duel? I didn't recognize you without your really thick accent. Your Japanese is much more understandable now, you sound like a civilized person. But if you're my opponent, I'll be glad to beat you down again." (DLP: 4000)

Lucas snarled and slapped a card from his hand down onto his duel disk. "You can't defeat me because I'm five times better than I was in Battle City. Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1200) in defense mode and that's all."

The former punk sighed and picked up his next card. "That's a pity, because I'm ten times the duelist I was back when we last dueled. Now, Hell Spell Striker(2200/1500) emerges. His special ability lets me add one monster to my hand which can't be normal summoned or set during the turn I get it, and this happens when my striker kills a monster. So now I attack!"

His powerful magician unleashed a blast of unholy energy that consumed the pasty faced witch that his opponent had been used. Because she was in defense mode no damage was done. "Just like you I search for a monster, this one with less than fifteen hundred defense points."

A card popped out of each player's deck and they added those cards to their hands. "The difference is that my monster has a power that will deal some damage. I selected Magic Saint(1700/1300) which can be special summoned from my hand at any time!"

A smiling man in everyday clothes and a halo over his head appeared next to Hell Spell Striker. "Since I special summoned him during my battle phase, Magic Saint now attacks you directly!" (LLP: 2300)

The German duelist stumbled, cursing in German as his life points dropped. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I set two cards face down. Back to you Lucas."

Drake's opponent snarled and immediately held up his drawn card, and a massive gust of wind began to surge around the field. "Heavy Storm blows away all magic and trap cards in play!"

Drake frowned, but otherwise didn't seem bothered that his two face down cards had been destroyed. Lucas smirked and threw another card onto his duel disk. "I'm sure you'll remember this card. Spinning Top of Doom(700/600)!"

A giant black spinning top with spikes poking out of it was Lucas' new monster, but it didn't look very threatening. "Now I activate Share the Pain, and select my top to be destroyed. Now pick one of your monsters!"

"I'll select Magic Saint, whose special ability activates when he goes from the field to the cemetery through destruction he lets me pick up one card in the grave. And I choose him!" He held the card upon and then threw it out onto the field, allowing his monster to reappear in defense mode.

"So bet it, but remember the power of my top. When it goes from the field to the grave I can instantly special summon one level six or higher monster from my hand. So arise, Twin Mages(1400-1400/1000-1000)!" Two brown cloaked wizards appeared, their eyes glowing from underneath their hoods. Drake recognized the card as he had gotten one from Lucas' in their first duel, and now it seemed Lucas had gotten a replacement.

"I discard the top card of my deck, which happens to be Repayment of Losses, to add the totals of my monsters attack points together to annihilate Hell Spell Strike! Twin Magic Attack!" A double barrage of magical energy blew Drake's attack mode monster away. (DLP: 3400)

"I set two cards face down and end my turn. Against the strength of Twin Mages you cannot hope to win, not this time!" He snickered and placed his hands on his hips, sneering at his Japanese opponent.

Drake finally began to get serious as he drew, realizing that Lucas was perhaps better than he had been giving him credit for. "I play Monster Reincarnation and discard one card to bring back Hell Spell Striker."

He held up the recovered monster, and then took it and another card from his hand and held them out. "Time for some serious power. I play Mystic Energy Twister, which requires I discard a spellcaster from my hand. Then half that monster's attack is deducted from your life points. Go, Mystic Energy Twister!"

Lucas cried out in shock as a vortex of magical power slammed into his chest, sending him careening backwards. Drake just smirked as he returned Hell Spell Striker to the cemetery, it having fulfilled its purpose. "I set one card face down and end my turn." (LLP: 1200)

"Fine you runt! I activate both of my set cards! Rising Energy lets me discard a card from my hand to boost one of my monsters by 1500 attack for the turn. Then Meteorain allows that monster to deal damage through defense. Finally I discard the top card of my deck to combine for one finishing strike. Annihilate!" The two mages combined their attacks together, sending it at Drake.

"Activate trap, Shield of Shadow Magic! By removing one dark type spellcaster from my grave I can destroy all face-up monsters on the opponent's field with a lower base attack than the removed monster. So I remove Hell Spell Striker, and your Twin Mages goes up in smoke!" The energy attack curled backwards and slammed into the two magicians, blasting them apart.

Lucas grimaced and set a monster face down, completing his turn. Drake drew and then pointed to his Magic Saint, which rose up from its crouched position. "Magic Saint destroys the set monster."

The creature shattered, and then Drake nodded for Lucas to start his own turn. Lucas drew, and then began to laugh again. "I play Monster Reborn, reviving Twin Mages(1400-1400/1000-1000)! Then I combine it with Dimensional Sabre, which lets it remove a monster it destroys from the game. Twin Magic Attack!" (DLP: 2300)

Drake frowned and placed the monster into his pocket. Since his opponent had no cards in his hand, he knew that it was his turn, and by the two cards in his hand he knew exactly what he could do. "Get ready Lucas, because I'm going to crush your monster once again. Muse of Darkness(1500/1400) appears and attacks Twin Mages!"

A handsome man in a black toga instantly appeared and fired a blast of darkness at the Twin Mages. They launched a counterattack, but were instantly blown into a million pieces. "But how? My Twin Mages were much stronger!" (LLP: 1100)

"Any monster that Muse of Darkness battles with loses its effect so your Twin Mages remained at their weak fourteen hundred points, letting my Muse win the battle. Since I've once again defeated your favorite monster, I think I'll end my turn." He folded his arms across his chest to await Lucas' next move.

"You think that will help? Well think again! Goblin Spell Force(2300/100) comes out, and it will attack your monster, losing its effect and letting it stay in attack mode!" A small group of green goblins with wands appeared in front of him, and then they proceeded to beat the Muse down with their wands instead of using magic. (DLP: 1500)

"You're a weird guy Lucas, but I'm far from bothered. I summon Unholy Spell-Master(2800/500) who can only attack if I discard a magic card from my hand. So I discard Repayment of Losses to let him blow away your monster!" A towering creature hidden by a black cloak stood over the goblins and snapped his fingers. Instantly the group of goblins exploded, leaving Lucas with no field. (LLP: 600)

Lucas' entire body quivered as he saw what remained of his life points and the mighty creature that Drake had in play. He had no cards in his hand while Drake still had one, and neither had any magic or trap cards in play. Chosaku snarled and shook a fist at him. "You said you could beat him! So do it already!"

The German nodded and drew. Unsteadily he held the card up...and then burst out laughing. "How perfect! By removing Twin Mages from the cemetery I can summon Fallen Kin(2000/2000) who gains double points during the turn he is summoned through his special effect!"

A monster in a brown robe identical to that of the twin mages appeared, only he was taller and apparently older than his brethren. "For destroying his two younger siblings Fallen Kin will punish you. Strike of the Fallen!"

Drake held up an arm to shield himself from debris as the magician slammed his foot into the ground, sending a wave of dark energy at his monster and blowing it into billions of digital particles. He glanced down at his duel disk and frowned. "Lucky draw there Lucas, but I'm still in." (DLP: 300)

"You see! You cannot defeat me because I am your ultimate foe! My revenge is soon to come, so this next turn is your last!" He roared with laughter, and the two elder Manjyomes joined him, happy that they would once again get a chance to take Duelist Academy for themselves, this time with no outside interference.

"I'll admit that you're good, but not good enough Lucas. Like I said, I'm ten times the duelist I was when we last dueled. Activate magic card, Shot From the Dark! I'll use it to activate Mystic Energy Twister, and I'll discard Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) as the cost!" Lucas dropped to his knees in horror as the energy vortex came right at him and then bowled him over. (LLP: 0)

Drake flashed the two elder brothers a smirk and tossed the DD3 back to the younger brother. "Sorry boys, but it looks like Kaiba Corp wins again. Now if you excuse me, I have a class to get to in an hour. But if you have any complaints at all, please feel free to address them to the Offices of Nobody Gives A Damn."

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Drake sighed as he hopped onto his motorcycle and headed back to the apartment that he shared with Kirani. Today had been amusing, but irritating. The brothers had taken his comment seriously, and had proceeded to bombard him and his office with phone calls, claiming that he had cheated. "Damned good for nothing sons of...oh not again!"

He snatched the cell phone out from his pocket where it was receiving a phone call. He flipped it open and pulled his helmet off, stopping the motorcycle so he could talk. "Daisuke Ihachi speaking. Who is it?"

A deep gruff voice spoke on the other end. "We need to speak. Meet me tomorrow at midnight at the established place. Trouble is brewing."

"Wait! What sort of...damn it! He hung up." Drake slid the phone back into his pocket, put his helmet back on, and then started the motorcycle back up. Today had definitely been annoying, and now it seemed that it was going to get worse.

"Dalin...whenever I see you or here from you it seems that my life turns to crap. But at least for today I can relax and not worry about any other crap happening."

There was just one problem with that theory. And that was that he was forgetting Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and he was about to experience it first hand.

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Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I enjoyed throwing in Judai and the others, even if only briefly.

_Next Time: Daisuke Ihachi has forgotten Murphy's Law and several other aspects of law. Now something he had hoped to forget from his past will return to cause him hell. But Kirani has no intention of letting it happen, so she steps in to aid him and all hell breaks loose!_

_See it all in, From the Past; Hell's Cat Fight!_

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Hope this starts us off more.

NeoArkadia: Yep, five years.

G.O.T. Nick: And this would be more now wouldn't it?

Time Mage: This is where we go. Don't worry, it'll begin to heat up soon enough.

_Original Cards_

Drake: Muse of Light, Angel Magister, Quick-Play Thief, Unity Power-Darkness, Negative Morality, Demon Magister, Hell Spell Striker, Magic Saint, Mystic Energy Twister, Shield of Shadow Magic, Muse of Darkness, Unholy Spell-Master, Repayment of Losses, Shot From the Dark

Lucas: Spinning Top of Doom, Twin Mages, Repayment of Losses, Dimensional Sabre, Goblin Spell Force, Fallen Kin


	3. From the Past Hell's Cat Fight

Author's Note: Get ready, because here we go.

Disclaimer: I would like to remind all of my readers that according to television ratings this story is rated M for Mature Audiences only. If it were a movie it would be rated R. This rating is applied for violence, harsh language, adult themes, and other similar things. Keep in mind that as I move along through this story that it will be the darkest of the three, so be prepared.

_**Chapter Two: From The Past; Hell's Cat Fight!**_

Drake pulled the door open and walked into the apartment quietly. Kirani hadn't been feeling well lately so she was probably taking a break. _'She deserves a chance to relax before I tell her that Dalin called. That'll just upset her.'_

Silently he took the pack off his shoulder and set it down on the couch, letting it rest there. It contained his deck, his duel disk, and some school materials, so it was pretty heavy and had been annoying his shoulder for a while now. _'Speaking of relaxing, I need to relax as well before tomorrow's meeting with Dalin.'_

He rotated his arm, stretching out the shoulder to get rid of a cramp that had been forming. Then, even though he tried to stop himself, he stepped in front of the nearest mirror and pulled his shirt off. _'This damned ritual...every time I'm at home with a mirror I can't stop myself.'_

Frowning he traced the thin white lines that marked his chest. There were forty-three total, each one small, and each one caused by the exact same event. He also knew that there were fifty-one starting from his sides and going across his back. And each day when he was at home he couldn't stop himself from counting them all. _'Damn it...what's wrong with me?'_

Finally he completed the counting, and stared down at his open palms. Each palm was marred by four crescent shaped scars, caused by his fingernails pressing down on his hands too hard. He could still remember when it had happened. It was when he dueled Autumn in Battle City. _'All this time and I still can't forget. My crimes, my mistakes, it never goes away does it?'_

His eyes trailed up to his left shoulder, where a massive circular white puckered scar could be seen. That scar had been caused by a Darkness Game he had played a number of years ago. But the one that he couldn't help but go back to was on his leg. _'The one I can't forget no matter what, even if everything else fades away that will still be with me.'_

His right thigh had a long white line that reached nearly to his kneecap, not even an inch thick, but it was jagged, like whatever had done it was serrated. In his mind he saw the event that had caused it, and he shuddered. _'I'll never forget. I'm so screwed up, no matter how much I try to pretend I'm better.'_

Forcing back the despair that was creeping up on him he grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. With that little jaunt at the mirror forgotten he walked straight to the kitchen and snatched the mail off the counter and started flipping through it. _'Junk, junk, bill, tournament invitation, and a notice?'_

Setting aside the junk mail he first opened up the tournament invitation, curious to see what it was. _'Daisuke Ihachi, you are cordially invited to participate in the Duel Monsters event of the year, to be held at the start of July in New York City. This spectacular event...blah blah blah. Damn it Kaiba, you know I know all the details of Battle City Two, I freaking helped plan it.'_

Tossing aside the letter he picked up the notice and started to open it, but stopped when he heard a door opening. A tired feminine voice reached his ears almost immediately. "Drake, you home already?"

Dropping the notice he turned around and found Kirani standing in the doorway to their room, looking tired but still beautiful. "Yeah, just got home a few minutes ago. Already dealt with business. How are you feeling?"

"Still a little ill, but nothing a little miso soup can't help fix." She yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she did so. Drake couldn't help but admire her from this angle. He could never get enough of seeing her, she was just so perfect.

"You stick around in bed, I'll go fix you some and bring it. After all, as your boyfriend it is my duty to be all honorable and serve you food in bed when you're sick. You helped me out last time I was hurt, so it's my turn." Kirani giggled, shaking her head at Drake and looking at him like he was an idiot.

"Last time you were hurt you had a gaping hole in your shoulder, I've just been feeling a little sick lately. I think there's a big difference." Drake paused at this, and then figured out a response.

"Yes, but that injury just applied to my shoulder, whereas while your sick your entire body is affected. That means that yours is worse." Kirani quirked an eyebrow at him, once again looking at him like he was an idiot.

"Your logic doesn't resemble the logic of a normal human being at all." Drake shrugged it off, grinning in response.

"Mine's much more advanced. Now, you sit tight and I'll get that miso soup for you." She nodded, accepting that he wanted to play nurse and returned to bed. Once she was back in their room he walked to the fridge and pulled out random ingredients.

"Umm...we don't have what we need for miso soup. Is Ramen okay?" What followed was a fairly noncommital noise, but since Kirani was sick Drake was willing to take that as a 'yes'. So he tore open the package and put some water on the stove to boil.

Knowing it would take some time for the water to boil he leaned up against the counter and picked up the notice. Turning it over he looked at the address, but didn't recognize it. It seemed official, and it declared in bold letters: 'From the Past'.

"I just got a weird chill from this letter...freaky. Oh well, not like a letter can hurt me." He tore open the top and jerked back when mist sprayed in his face.

"What the hell was that?" He started to pull the letter out to investigate, but paused when his vision suddenly blurred. He felt the word start to shift around him, and as his body slipped off the counter he had just one thought before darkness took him.

'_I've been drugged...'_

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Kirani awoke to the sound of a shrieking of some kind. Groaning she rolled over in bed and pulled the pillow over her head, trying to block out the noise. When it didn't go away immediately she forced herself out of bed and out into the rest of the apartment.

What she found was a pot on the stove boiling over, causing the shrieking sound. She frowned and dumped the nearby Ramen into it, letting it start the process. "Drake, pay attention, the water was boiling."

There was no response. "Drake?"

Still nothing, so now she was starting to get worried. In a slight panic she looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary except for a discarded letter laying on the ground. She knelt down and picked it up, slipping the letter out of the envelope. "What the...I'm back? What kind of letter is that?"

That was all the letter said. 'I'm back' and nothing else. "Drake...where are you?"

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At that moment Drake groaned and his eyes flickered open. "Damn I've got a headache."

Groaning he tried to sit up, but discovered that he was unable to. Frowning he looked down towards his body as best he could, and discovered exactly why he couldn't move. There was some kind of strap over his body, and he could feel straps on his ankles. In addition his arms were strapped down as well. "What the fuck is going on!"

"Ooo...you're awake." Drake pulled his head up slightly to see who was there, and he felt his breath leave him from the shock. Standing just half a dozen feet away was a beautiful older woman with shoulder length black hair and frighteningly green eyes.

"Yumi...no...this is just a nightmare, that's all." Yumi smirked and sauntered over, stopping right beside the table he was strapped down on. Idly she traced a hand down his chest, tapping his scars as she reached each one.

"No, not a nightmare at all. It's a dream come true. All that time that I was in jail? All that time they were trying to rehabilitate me? You should have known that it was useless, and now I'm out. I've got backing now, and my backer helped me get out. In exchange for doing certain things for him...I get you." Drake's eyes widened, realizing quite suddenly that this was real.

He closed his eyes and focused, reaching into the depths of his soul to pull upon the magic that would let him break these bonds. But when he dipped into that pool of mystic energies the energy seemed to slid away. "I heard you had magic, but don't bother. The drug I used prevents you from accessing your magic."

Drake grimaced and opened his eyes again, pulling at the bonds, trying to break free. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Want? Just what I've always wanted. You of course. Oh sure I've had lots of other guys before...but you, you were always special. I just never knew how special until recently. When I saw you when you were eleven I knew you were someone who mattered, someone who could do something important in life. And it gave me chills to know that I could do whatever I wanted with you." Just to demonstrate she shivered, smirking at the same time.

"You're out of your fucking mind. You think that forcing yourself on someone so much younger than you, making that person do things that no normal person would do makes you special? You get some thrill out of twisting kids values don't you?" Yumi chuckled at his response and started walking around the table.

"You know, when I was in jail they sent me to a psychiatric ward twice a week for treatment, trying to figure out what was wrong with me and make me better. You know what they figured out? I'm psychotic, and that's all there is to it. Guess I was just born this way right?" She laughed, coming around to the other side and then started tapping her fingernails against his chest.

"So you're a fucking sicko who does these things not because you had trauma in the past, but just because you want to? You're worse than I thought, and that's tough to say." He snarled, struggling against his bonds again, despite knowing that it was futile.

"I've done a lot of bad things in my life, and usually to good people. But you, you Drake are my crowning achievement. I took a little run down kid off the street with a broken heart and lots of potential and molded him into someone of true worth. I stripped you of your need for the stupid moralities of normal society...but then you had to go and remember your morals." She frowned for the first time, remembering it.

"You weren't my first kid I took in, or did things with. A lot of people might call me sick for taking specific interest in younger boys. But if they just tried it, they'd see that corrupting a youth, seeing them grown and change, seeing the looks on their faces...it's the most exquisite thing one can imagine!" She closed her eyes and shivered, a chill running down her body at the very thought of it.

"I've always wondered...are you trying to make kids as warped and fucked up as you are because you can't have children of your own? Or is it just because of the sick pleasure you get out of it?" Yumi snapped her eyes open and glared down at Drake, here eyes like emerald flames.

"The first time, when I was thirteen...that started because I had just learned that I was barren, that I'd never be able to have children. I had a babysitting job for a nine year old boy, the son of some very prominent people. I thought that if I couldn't have my own kid, maybe this boy could be mine. That was just the start though, because I started to enjoy it, and that became my all consuming reason. The pleasure of it." Drake clenched his fists, his body shaking with rage, remembering everything he knew about her, remembering his own experiences.

"You're the reason I've become like this! It's all your fucking fault you bitch! Even now, years later, when I feel that I've gotten away from you I haven't. I still get pleasure out of feeling skin break under my fists, even though I don't want to. And every day I can't stop myself from staring in the mirror and counting my scars, remembering how they happened. If I don't I feel like my head is going to explode...and every single messed up part of me is because of you!"

"That's right, you're my crowning achievement, my most spectacular success...and my most momentous failure. I took you in at age eleven and taught you everything about how depraved society could be, showed you how to be depraved right back, but when they came to take me away, you finally realized that maybe it wasn't what you wanted. You tried to block it out, to get away...but I couldn't let that happen." Her fingernails dragged down his chest, raking across the skin and breaking it.

Beads of blood gathered on his chest from where her nails were pressing in, but he barely noticed. "You stabbed me in the leg and tried to have the rest of the gang hold me down so you could rape me you sick bitch! And I'd rather die than be with you again, not after all you've done!"

"I can make you change your mind, I can make you want me again. But not this you, I need the you that you blocked out. I need the real you, and I need to see it, I need to feel that darkness covering me. The raw hate, the rage, the blood lust...that feral power that I saw that day. I have to make it my own or my life won't be complete. So come on, show me the real you!" She put her face just inches from his own, glaring down at him, her body shaking with anticipating and anger.

"The real me is dead and gone because of you! I've been trying to bring him back, bring back the real Daisuke who could have existed if it wasn't for you...but so far I haven't succeeded. But love is helping me do that...and maybe some day I'll be whole again." Yumi jerked back as if bitten, and she clenched her fists, her eyes ablaze.

"Love? That bitch that you live with? Kirani right? You can't return to the Drake that I want so long as she's alive can you? But maybe...just maybe...I can bring out the real you if you watch her suffer in front of your very eyes." Drake stared at her in horror, shaking his head.

"No! Don't touch her! If you touch her I swear by every god that has ever existed I'll make you pay for it in spades! Suffering like you'd never understand, pain without measure! Touch her and I'll make you wish you were dead!" Yumi chuckled and sauntered away, moving into the darkness.

"Thanks for the encouragement. Give me an hour, maybe two tops and she'll be back here so you can watch her suffer." Then she was gone.

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Kirani groaned, her eyes flicking open. They darted around, desperately seeking an answer to just one question. "Where the hell am I?"

The last thing she remembered was finishing up an irritating drawn out conversation with the police on the telephone about the fact that Drake had gone missing and about the letter. Then she remembered opened the door and something coming at her really fast. "What hit me?"

"I did bitch. Get up so I can do it again and let our little boy toy enjoy the show." Kirani stood on her feet and found herself face to face with a beautiful woman with ebony locks of hair and emerald green eyes.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you talking about? What's going on?" The woman in front of her snickered and raised her fists, sliding into the exact same fighter's stance that Drake always used.

"Me? I'm Yumi, and I'm talking about beating your face in and making you nothing more than a rotting corpse on the ground. And I'm talking about doing it so that Drake can see it and so that his true self will be revealed." Yumi sneered and started hopping from foot to foot, eager to take action.

Kirani glanced off to her right, where she saw Drake strapped to a table, bound and gagged. He was struggling against his bonds, rage clearly showing in his eyes. "Let him go!"

She rushed for the table, but was put to a halt when a heavy blow landed against the back of her head, sending her careening towards the ground. She just barely caught herself and rolled away in order to avoid the pounding foot that would have connected with her skull. _'She's dead serious!'_

Yumi pouted, watching as Kirani scrambled to her feet. "I was hoping you'd be a fighter, but while I bet you can handle yourself against the average person, you're no match for me. I'm on of the people who taught Drake how to fight, so even out of practice I can kill you with my bare hands any day of the week."

Kirani grimaced and threw herself to the side as Yumi came barreling towards her at great speed, her fists swinging. She barely managed to escape the strike, and the blow clipped the side of her head, stunning her. _'She's so fast!'_

"You can't dodge much longer, I can see already that you aren't doing too good. And I can tell I haven't hit you enough to cause all that. Guess I caught you at a bad time didn't I?" Yumi smirked in the same fashion that Drake often did, and then charged in again, fists at the ready.

The blow slammed Kirani into the nearby wall, and she cried out in pain. Then Yumi was right in front of her, pinning her against the wall with her hands. "I'm going to enjoy watching you scream for mercy as I gut you. But maybe...just maybe, I should let you watch as I take Drake while he's all helpless and do what I tried to do to him about seven years ago, when he left the gang. Rape him."

Kirani's eyes went wide, and she didn't need to hear Drake's muffled screams of rage to know that it was true, and that Yumi's threats were real. "You can tell can't you? You've been with him...but I'll let you in on a secret. I taught him everything he knows, and I started when he was just thirteen. Pretty cool isn't it?"

"You...you psycho bitch!" Yumi screamed and jerked her hands away as if burned, and it looked like they had been, as steam was rising off of them.

"What in the hell is this!" Kirani's body was now surrounded by a red glow, and burning upon her forehead was a red symbol, the kanji for love.

"This is my power, a power inspired by Drake and used to stop people like you. The Heart of Love. So if you think you're going to hurt the man I love, then you've got another thing coming!" A wave of power slammed into Yumi, hurling her across the room.

Yumi struggled back onto her feet, looking bruised and a little worse for the wear after having been treated like a rag doll. "My backer told me that I might run into a little bit of magic trouble, so he gave me something to help out. Get ready to meet the newest and best mystical drug on the market."

She slid a rectangular metal case out of her pocket and flipped it open. It was revealed to have a padded interior, and five objects within. Snickering to herself the deranged woman pulled out the first of them, the biggest item, which was a syringe. "It's just getting started, so now let me show you the drug itself. This is Blood."

She held up another object, a vial of dark liquid that looked exactly like blood. Then she pressed it into the syringe and placed the tip of the needle against her arm. "Time to get freaky."

There was barely a twinge felt when she injected the mystical drug into her arm, but although the pain was virtually non-existent, the effect was almost instantaneous. She threw her head back and screamed, massive dark energies swirling around her. "This is it, this is the power that will make me your equal, and I've been told just how to use it!"

Darkness leaped out from around her and surrounded the two women and Drake, covering them in it. It seemed to go on and on into eternity, and it was a place that both Drake and Kirani recognized. "According to my backer, I think you should thank the effect of Blood for giving me this power. The power of a Darkness Game!"

She raised her left arm and a duel disk that was a deep crimson color appeared, deck already in place. "When I win this duel, I think I'll make you die very slowly, cursing Drake's name as you go down to the depths of hell itself. With hatred for him as the last words on your lips, I'm sure it will drive him over the edge!" (YLP: 4000)

Kirani wasn't surprised at all to find a DD3 suddenly attached to her arm, or that she had a deck in it. She drew five cards to start off with, ready to get going. "Fine, let's not delay. I'll teach you a lesson and keep you away from Drake forever." (KLP: 4000)

She scanned her hand, along with the card she had just drawn. Things didn't look good for her already, as she hadn't drawn anything but monsters. "I set a monster in defense mode. End."

Yumi eyed her curiously, but didn't comment. "Things are just going to get easier for me as the game continues. So I'll start with my favorite monster, Hell Cat(1800/1300), who attacks immediately!"

A giant feline covered in blood red razor fur charged out and slammed headlong into a burly warrior holding up a giant shield. "This monster has always protected the Gilfords and will always, since he has to be attacked first. He's Gilford's Guardian(0/2400)!" (YLP: 3400)

"Fine, my monster has to kill another monster to activate her effect, so I'll just set two cards face down and end my turn at that." Two cards appeared behind her monster, and then it was Kirani's turn.

Drake saw the look on her face, and though she was hiding it he already knew that she hadn't drawn anything useful. He also knew that her hand didn't contain anything useful either. "I special summon Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in defense. Then I normally set a monster."

Yumi snapped another card off her deck, and then slammed it down. "Hell Boar(1500/1100) is next on the list! Next I activate the continuous magic card, Mortal Blow. Whenever a monster is destroyed, for effects it is counted as being destroyed twice. So, I attack!"

Hell Cat darted out and slashed through Kirani's set monster, which was instantly obliterated. "Whenever Hell Cat destroys a monster you have to discard a card from your hand. But thanks to Mortal Blow you have to get rid of two. Hell Boar has a similar effect, so all I need to do is kill a monster with it and he'll gain four hundred attack."

Kirani frowned as two of the cards she was holding were forced into the cemetery. One of them was Gilford the Lightning, which she had been hoping on summoning in the next turn. "Fine, let's get on with this. I summon Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650), and have it attack Hell Boar!"

Yumi blinked, seemingly surprised that her monster was crushed so easily. Kaiser Seahorse pierced through it with a single stab of its sword, leaving nothing else. "Bitch...you'll pay for that." (YLP: 3200)

Kirani started to roll her eyes, but a wave of dizziness nearly knocked her off her feet. _'No...in my condition how am I supposed to handle a Darkness Game? This isn't good at all, even the Heart of Love can't protect us completely.'_

The psychotic woman drew, and then pointed to one of her set cards. "Since you killed one of my monsters last turn I can activate Pains of Regeneration, which lets me summon one dark type monster from the grave for each monster you killed last turn. So Hell Boar is back!"

Kirani wasn't bothered by the appearance of the monster, since it was too weak to do anything. "You seem confident, so I'll shake that confidence with this. Hell Wyrm(2700/2400) in attack mode!"

Both of Yumi's monsters vanished, only to be replaced by a massive dragon made out of bones and sinew. "This monster has trample, and when he destroys a monster I can draw a card. Not only that, but I activate my set card known as Call of the Haunted!"

Hell Cat clawed its way out of the ground, looking irritated that it had to use its claws for such a mundane purpose. Kirani frowned, looking at her three monsters, knowing that they were basically defenseless against this assault. "Hell Wyrm, attack Gilford's Guardian!"

A wave of icy breath from the undead dragon froze the guardian, which shattered moments later, taking a bare minimum chunk from Kirani's life points. "Next Hell Cat destroys Kaiser Seahorse!"

The cat slashed the monster in half, leaving her with nothing to defend her but Gilford the Swift. Although the damage to her life points was minimal, things didn't look good. "Now thanks to my monster's effects and Mortal Blow I draw two cards and you lose your last two." (KLP: 3600)

Kirani's final two cards went to the cemetery, leaving her with absolutely nothing to work with. There was one positive factor though. "You're lucky I got a bad hand, because you missed out on a thousand damage. Had you killed my Seahorse with the Wyrm instead of the Cat I'd have taken more damage. I'm out two cards, and an extra monster, but those cards are better off in the grave anyways."

"Not like I care, you're going to lose anyways, so it doesn't really matter. But first I play one of the two cards I drew. Hinotama!" A fireball shrieked out of the darkness and slammed into Kirani, dropping her to her knees, gasping in pain. Yumi could only laugh at the younger woman's pain and Drake's struggles. (KLP: 3100)

"Now since I'm done with that, I set two cards face down. Just wait a little longer my Drake, and then we'll see the real you now won't we?" She smirked, confident that victory was already hers.

Kirani struggled to find her breath, knowing that the attack normally wouldn't have done as much damage. But the regular buffers she had against strikes in the Darkness Realm was nearly gone thanks to her weakness. "I...I'm not out yet. I activate The Gathering Storm!"

Yumi frowned as Gilford the Swift exploded, and the electrical energy began to gather around Kirani. "What's going on?"

"It's simple. At the cost of one monster on my field, The Gathering Storm lets me draw five cards from my deck. All monsters with 'Gilford' in their name that I draw will be special summoned, but won't be able to attack. So, since Gilford the Swift was my sacrifice, let's get this underway!" She slipped five cards off her deck, and then without looking at them she picked up three and held them up above her duel disk.

"These cards are my answer to you, so come on out, Gilford of Thunder(1800/400), Gilford of Thunder(1800/400), and Gilford of Thunder(1800/400)!" Three identical monsters touched down on her field at the same moment, readying their weapons for battle.

"So you've summoned an army of wimps. Big deal, it won't help you. Even if they were strong enough, you said yourself that they can't attack me. And with just two cards in your hand they can't help." Yumi snickered, but stopped her laughs when Kirani started snickering as well.

"You don't get it because you don't know effects well enough. When Gilford of Thunder is summoned I get to draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom. And if you can count, I just summoned three. So how many cards is that?" Yumi's eyes went wide as she instantly did the math. She hadn't completed her education, but that was an easy one.

"Six cards..." Kirani nodded and slipped three cards off the top of her deck and then grabbed three from the bottom. She added them all to her hand, giving her a grand total of eight cards. And they were bound to help her out in some way or another.

"Now, I bet you think that you'll stop my plan with your set cards. But I have plans on my own, so it's time to unleash a storm. A Heavy Storm!" Yumi snarled as her two face down cards and her two permanent cards were blown away. And since Call of the Haunted was gone, so was Hell Cat.

"Bitch I'll" She was cut off when a massive bolt of lightning slammed into her remaining monster, blowing it apart and causing her to stumble backwards.

"You won't do anything, because I just sacrificed my three monsters for Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) whose special ability just blew away your monster. Now with the way cleared, I attack you directly!" Gilford snapped his weapon around, and lightning arched into Yumi's body, making her scream in pain. (YLP: 400)

Smoke rose from Yumi's body, but in mere moment's the woman's wounds faded and she looked good as knew. "Ah, another wonderful benefit of Blood. With it's help I'll blow you away in just a few short turns!"

Kirani sighed, used to hearing such silly threats. But now that she was back in the game, there was little that Yumi would be able to do. "I set three magic or trap cards face down. Now, it's just about time for you to die."

"You're so confident, but you don't realize that you've practically handed me the win. Since you destroyed all of my monsters last turn I can now activate Hell Blast, which will destroy Gilford the Lightning and deduct its attack points from your life points!" Gilford's body exploded, tossing Kirani into the air. Her energies cushioned her, but just barely. (KLP: 300)

"Since there's little else I can do, I'll just set one monster face down and a magic or trap card behind it." Finishing with her turn because she had emptied her hand, Yumi studied her opponent carefully, noting just how much pain Kirani seemed to be in. There was little she'd be able to do now.

Kirani frowned, not quite sure what to make of this. But she had to do something, so she knew exactly what to do. "I summon Gilford-Mage of Lightning(1600/1400). Then I sacrifice him to destroy your set monster, just in case it's a flip effect."

Her monster appeared just in time to convert into lightning and zip across the field, blowing apart Yumi's set monster. The girl backed away, horror evident in her eyes as she stared down Gilford's blade. "No way, I was guaranteed I would win with Blood!"

"Yeah, well life isn't a guarantee, you have to work to get where you're going! There are no shortcuts, except to hell. Now I'll show you a shortcut there courtesy of Gilford's Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford charged in, only for the entire field to collapse, and then be replaced by darkness again.

Yumi's frightened look faded away, replaced by laughter. "You fell for it and attacked, just like I knew you would! You triggered Unholy Calamity, which can only be played when the opponent attacks. It sends every card on the field to the cemetery, and since you've already summoned that means you're finished!"

Kirani held up the remaining three cards in her hand and thought about the situation. _'She's right, this is a bad situation. Two of my cards are monsters, but I can't summon either this turn since I used up my normal summon on Mage of Lightning. That means it's bluff time.'_

She slipped the third card she held onto her duel disk, and it formed in front of her, ready to do some protecting. The best she could hope for was that Yumi wouldn't top deck anything useful, because if she did then it was over. "You know something Yumi, you should seek serious help."

"Oh, they already sent me to jail for help. After all, that's usually what they do when it's discovered that you're wanted for twenty-two counts of statutory and eighteen of child molestation. Plus random counts of larceny, arson, public nudity, and about fifteen other cute little crimes." Kirani stared at the woman in horror, barely able to believe that a regular human being was capable of acting that way about crimes like those.

"You...you sicken me. You shouldn't even be part of the human race." Yumi shrugged, smiling at what she saw out of the corner of her eyes. It was Drake, thrashing against his bonds like a madman.

'_Little does Miss Priss know that my backer gave me a little secret to getting what I want. Drake's condition is linked to this duel, so the further I get the closer he is to unleashing his true self, the one I want. The Drake that I gave birth to, my son himself. My prize. And when I win, he'll be born again to be with me forever!'_ Kirani stared at Yumi in confusion, unsure what the woman was doing just standing there and smirking.

'_Must be an inner monologue. It's really long too.'_ All she could do now was wait out the psycho woman's monologue and hope she got on with it soon. Nearly all of Kirani's energy was already gone, leaving her with very little left to continue the duel. She had to end it soon, or she'd fall prey to the darkness.

'_I can't beat this Kirani girl normally, so it's time I pull out the last stopper and finish her.' _She reached out and tapped the life point counter of her duel disk, frowning like she was thinking. But in reality she had triggered a special compartment that slid a brand new card on the top of her deck. It was state of the art, and guaranteed to never be seen by anyone.

She drew, and her eyes widened in mock surprise. "Look at this, would you guess what I've just drawn? Why it's the key to winning this duel! Get ready to burn bitch, and when you're finished roasting Drake will be mine. Hinotama, activate!"

The fireball flew straight at Kirani, and Yumi could practically taste victory already. It tasted a lot like Drake she could imagine. _'A few more seconds and I've won!'_

"Of all the cards you could have drawn, that was the wrong one! Reveal trap, Lightning Reflective Surface! This splits all effect damage between the two of us!" Yumi's eyes widened as the ball of flame split into two smaller halves, and one struck each of them. (YLP: 150, KLP: 50)

Yumi sputtered, barely able to believe what she was seeing. Although she was almost instantly healed of the minor damages by Blood, she now had a completely empty field, nothing that could be played from the grave, and no hand. In other words...she had lost. _'But...I was supposed to win. My backer promised me that Kirani would fall, those were his exact words!'_

Kirani drew her card, her knees quaking as her energy seeped away. She had to finish this fast. "Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in attack mode. Now..."

Her vision started going dark, and she reached out to her monster. She saw Drake thrashing at his bonds, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. She hit the ground hard, and her vision went dark. Instantly Kaiser Seahorse shattered, fading away and leaving nothing.

Yumi stared at the fallen Kirani, and realized that her backer's words had proven true. Kirani had indeed fallen, and since she couldn't continue the Darkness Game...then she was the winner by default! "That's it, I've won! Now I get my reward, I get the real Drake!"

A scream of a terrible nature shattered her from her reverie, and she whirled around in time to discover something astonishing. A pillar of darkness was in the spot where the table had once been, and standing within it was a vague form that she knew had to be one person. "Drake? Is that you, the real you?"

A figure stepped out from the pillar of darkness, a pitch black trench coat flaring out behind him, so dark that it seemed to drink in the night. It was Drake, only he seemed to radiate some kind of terrible power, and he was sneering at her. "Bitch, you've never met the real me before. Now get ready to, because before the day is done, you're going to wish that your parents never even thought of fucking."

"Such dark power...what are you really? My Drake...he wouldn't look at me like that, I know it! I'm his mother and his lover at the same time, I'm his everything, I know it! Who the hell are you?" The man before her smirked in what was like a twisted and dark version of the one that Drake often wore.

"I told you. I'm the real Drake. This is the real me!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I'd just like to say that Yumi is seriously warped. Just so we're on the record for that one. And yeah...I'm starting off the major action much faster this time around, so get ready for some fast past darkness.

_Next Time: Light. Darkness. Hate. Love. Fear. Courage. The truth of who a person really is can only be discovered if you dig deep enough. Yumi has dug as deep as she can go, and now something from within will be unleashed. The only question is, which aspect is the real one? _

_See it all in, The Real Me!_

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Thanks. I had fun bringing them in briefly like that.

LucienShadowMaster: Lol. I definitely find your version of Murphy's Law funny. Kudos.

G.O.T. Nick: As previous stated, all draws in both duels were real as I played them out. And you guessed right about Yumi.

Time Mage: Hell Spell Striker(as stated previously) cannot attack directly under any circumstances, that's its draw back. Unholy Spell-Master requires a discard of a magic card to attack, and also has one other drawback that wasn't revealed in this chapter. Good guess about Serenity, but not quite.

_Original Cards_

Kirani: Gilford's Guardian, Gilford the Swift, The Gathering Storm, Gilford of Thunder, Lightning Reflective Surface

Yumi: Hell Cat, Hell Boar, Mortal Blow, Pains of Regeneration, Hell Wyrm

_Anime/Manga Cards_

Yumi: Unholy Calamity(technically there's a real version of this, but it's effect sends all m/ts on the field to the grave, so it's a trap Heavy Storm. The version in manga and anime that Malik nearly used on Joey had this effect)


	4. The Real Me!

Author's Note: Let's heat things up a bit.

_**Chapter Three: The Real Me!**_

_Kirani drew her card, her knees quaking as her energy seeped away. She had to finish this fast. "Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in attack mode. Now..." _

_Her vision started going dark, and she reached out to her monster. She saw Drake thrashing at his bonds, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. She hit the ground hard, and her vision went dark. Instantly Kaiser Seahorse shattered, fading away and leaving nothing._

_Yumi stared at the fallen Kirani, and realized that her backer's words had proven true. Kirani had indeed fallen, and since she couldn't continue the Darkness Game...then she was the winner by default! "That's it, I've won! Now I get my reward, I get the real Drake!"_

_A scream of a terrible nature shattered her from her reverie, and she whirled around in time to discover something astonishing. A pillar of darkness was in the spot where the table had once been, and standing within it was a vague form that she knew had to be one person. "Drake? Is that you, the real you?"_

_A figure stepped out from the pillar of darkness, a pitch black trench coat flaring out behind him, so dark that it seemed to drink in the night. It was Drake, only he seemed to radiate some kind of terrible power, and he was sneering at her. "Bitch, you've never met the real me before. Now get ready, because before the day is done, you're going to wish that your parents never even thought of fucking."_

"_Such dark power...what are you really? My Drake...he wouldn't look at me like that, I know it! I'm his mother and his lover at the same time, I'm his everything, I know it! Who the hell are you?" The man before her smirked in what was like a twisted and dark version of the one that Drake often wore._

"_I told you. I'm the real Drake. This is the real me!"_

Yumi felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Fear, pure and unadulterated fear. This new Drake, he was looking at her like a wolf looks at mutton. "What do you want from me?"

Drake smirked and then suddenly the darkness around them seemed to flicker, as if it was being altered. Yumi stared around at it, her eyes wide with horror. "First I figured I'd negate your Darkness Game and replace it with one of my own."

"Negate...a Darkness Game? But my backer said that was impossible!" Drake just shrugged and then raised his left arm. Instantly a jet black duel disk appeared, deck already in place.

"Wench, you don't know a damned thing. The Heart of Darkness...it's power is too great to be confined by a meager second level Darkness Game. That's why I've upgraded us to level five, which should prove more interesting. Now, prepare to duel!" His disk snapped into position and his life point counter lit up. (DLP: 4000)

Yumi felt the Blood pulse in response to the increase in the Darkness Game's power, as it was trying to reassert itself. But it didn't seem to be working, all it could do was sustain her. "Fine, I'll defeat you and make you mine forever!" (YLP: 4000)

Drake smirked confidentely and drew five cards, holding them down and not looking at them yet. "Bitch, you won't even touch my life points. Before this duel is over, you'll understand the difference between us. It's the difference between a man...and a maggot."

Yumi could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and the darkness pulsing around her, flowing with terrible power. _'I don't understand why he isn't mine, but if I have to kill him to make him mine, then I will!'_

"I'm no maggot, just watch me unleash my strength against you! The deck I've been provided is strong enough to defeat you with whatever deck you have. So just to prove it, I'll start by summoning Hell Tree(0/2000) in defense mode!" A pitch black tree appeared, towering over them both, but doing little other than that.

"Bah! A tree is your method of fighting me? If that's the case then you're more of a weakling than I thought!" Yumi growled in irritation, looking over her hand of cards to see if she had a way to shut him up.

"This deck has a lot more to work with, so just watch me! I set one card face down, and then I end my turn!" Drake snorted, unimpressed by her play.

"Bitch, I'll crush you with ease. And to start that off, I'll set three magic or trap cards face down. Sadly I haven't drawn a monster yet, so I guess that's all I can do." He smirked as the three cards emerged in front of him.

Yumi snapped a card off her deck and then immediately threw a different one onto the field. "Meet my new creature, Hell Bee(1300/900)! And thanks to the special ability of Hell Tree all monsters with 'hell' in their name gain 300 attack and defense points!"

A black and red giant bee buzzed around her head, its attack and defense scores raising accordingly. But to her disappointment Drake didn't look worried at all. "You're so cocky, but you won't be for long! Hell Bee, attack him directly!"

"Amateur! You walk straight into a trap like that? Well now you'll pay for it. Go, Bone Shatter! This trap card negates your attack and forces you to discard monsters from your deck equal to half the level of the monster whose attack I negated. That's two by the way if your math wasn't good enough." Yumi frowned and searched her deck for two monsters, finally settling and tossing them into the grave.

"Don't look so fucking casual about those lost monsters. They help me with my trap card, Severed Spine! Whenever a card goes to the grave through an effect other than its own, or through activation or sacrifice you lose three hundred points and I gain that many. So that's six hundred!" Yumi screamed as a terrible heat flared up in her back, while Drake just chuckled. (YLP: 3400, DLP: 4600)

"You...you're strong, I knew that much. But we'll see if you have the strength to defeat my deck soon enough. I set one card face down and end my turn." She slid the card onto her disk, giving her two set cards and two monsters.

Drake held up his newly drawn card, and then pointed at Hell Tree. "It's secondary ability, it lets you forfeit your draw phase to add another monster with 'hell' in its title to your hand. I don't want that, so I'll activate Steal the Sleeping's Breath! This removes your monsters effect until it is destroyed, at which point you'll lose five hundred damage."

Lines of ice creeped up around the tree, cutting it off from its abilities. "Now, since I still don't have any other monsters, I just set one magic or trap card face down. Then it's all you."

Yumi didn't look fazed that her monster had lost its effect, or that her other monster had weakened. All she saw was two face down cards on her opponent's field, and they couldn't keep up with her attacks. "I summon Hell Falcon(1700/1500) to the field, who will take to the air immediately! With its special ability I can attack you directly, but the damage is always 600. So, Hell Falcon strikes!"

A massive bird with spiked wings and burning feathers soared through the air and streaked down towards Drake, who appeared nearly undefended. "Time to pluck the chicken. Activate Nightmare Poison Needle!"

The bird stopped its flight and began twitching in mid-air, and without the beating of its wings it dropped like a stone, its body cracking against the ground. "What the hell did you do?"

"Nightmare Poison Needle puts a counter on an attacking monster. That creature is considered to have been destroyed, and to have gone to the cemetery. Each turn that it remains in this so-called cemetery you lose three hundred life points. But let's not forget Severed Spine shall we?" Yumi screamed again as the pain shot through her. (YLP: 3100, DLP: 4900)

"Who said you could stop screaming? Nightmare Poison Needle, do your stuff!" The older woman grabbed at her head, shaking it and quivering, screaming as terrible pain seared through her mind. Like needles were being stabbed into her brain. (YLP: 2800)

When she finally recovered, restored by Blood, she looked haggard but pissed. "I'll have to punish you for all of this once you're mine. But now...now it's time for Hell Bee to attack you directly!"

Drake smirked and snapped his fingers together. Instantly his remaining face down card flipped up. "You don't learn do you? Activate trap card, Mind Shatter! This destroys an attacking monster and forces you to discard two cards from your hand."

Yumi opened her mouth to say that it was just a set back, when she suddenly realized exactly what that meant. Three of her cards were about to go to the cemetery, which meant Severed Spine was going to activate. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes. Suffer bitch!" He closed his eyes, titling his head back to listen to her screams of pain as Severed Spine made her feel like someone was racking a hot rack down her spinal column. Something that was extraordinarily painful. If it wasn't for the Blood in her system she wouldn't be able to keep going at all. (YLP: 1900, DLP: 5800)

With only one card left in her hand, Yumi could think of very little else she could do for the moment. "I end my turn, but I know I'll get through your defenses soon enough. After all, how many more traps could you draw that are so good?"

As Drake drew his card, he started to laugh, a dark and sinister sound that she would have found erotic under different circumstances. "God, you're really stupid aren't you? This deck of mine, it's a Dark Trap Deck! Which means that the main focus of it is traps. There isn't even a single monster in the whole thing!"

Even as Yumi's eyes were widening in realization, Drake was already looking over his newest card. "How perfect, it's time to feed you a little bit more pain. Magic card activates, Skull Impact! This destroys one random monster on your field and deals one hundred damage to you for each of its levels. But you've only got one, your level four Hell Tree!"

A big hammer shot out of his magic card and slammed into the wood of the tree, blowing it apart and sending slivers of wood flying in all directions. Yumi threw her hands up to guard herself, but was lucky to avoid most of the slivers. Those that flew towards Drake were incinerated before they could touch him. "Forgetting the damage aren't we?" (YLP: 1500)

Suddenly he snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "Oh yeah! Since Hell Tree was destroyed by an effect, that means it counts towards the effect of Severed Spine right? Guess that means more damage for you, and more life for me." (YLP: 1200, DLP: 6100)

Yumi dropped to her knees, her body still functioning, but her spirit shaken by the pain she had experienced so far in the duel. She was mentally unstable, even she would admit that, but she was no masochist. "It's too much..."

Drake frowned at the pathetic state she was in, looking annoyed. "That's it? You're already basically throwing in the towel and I've hardly gotten started yet. I mean, it was obvious to me that you were beneath me from the start, but I was expecting to hurt you some more before you admitted it. Oh well, guess that means it's easier, albeit disappointing."

"Oh, and before I end my turn, I think it's the best time to remind you of Steal the Sleeping's Breath's secondary effect. Remember, since Hell Tree was destroyed you now take five hundred damage." She shivered as a wave of cold flowed over her, draining her of more life points. (YLP: 700)

Casually he slipped the last two cards in his hand onto his duel disk, giving him just two potential traps to work with against whatever she managed to bring out. But since she would have just two cards to use along with two set cards it seemed unlikely that she'd manage to get anything good. "I draw..."

Yumi glanced down at her newly drawn cards, and then at her two face down cards. "I know how to fight you...I just won't attack, that's all. I set one card face down, and end my turn." (YLP: 400)

Drake raised an eyebrow, looking amused that she was trying to come up with a counter strategy. "You really think you can counter my strategy? Bah, what a pathetic thought. My Cyclone magic card destroys your leftmost set card."

A burst of wind shattered the card he had named, sending it to the grave. Instantly she screamed as heat flared up in her back, caused by the effect of Drake's continuous trap card. "Damn, I don't think I'll ever get tired of the sound of your screams." (YLP: 100, DLP: 6400)

She shuddered, barely managing to draw her card. Desperately she tried to think of some way to counter his strategy, but nothing was coming. She stared at Hell Falcon, and realized what was going to happen. "Activate...Trap of Board Eraser."

Drake whistled, surprised to see the damage negated. Luckily he had no cards in his hand to have to discard. "I'm impressed, I was expecting you to die instantly. Guess I might just have to keep waiting for that."

"Wait all you want you bastard...you're not the Drake I wanted. The Drake I wanted wouldn't have turned against me, he would have embraced me instantly, knowing that I was his true destiny. I'm his second chance at life!" Drake chuckled, making her hackles rise. Something about that chuckle didn't sound right.

"He's had way too many chances at life, and he's screwed up each and every one of them. The question is, how come he's still around? Why is it that he remains, after all of his mistakes, instead of being nothing but a worthless rotting corpse like you'll soon be. That's what I wonder." Yumi eyed him curiously, not quite understanding.

"Don't get it? Not surprising considering you're stupid, but I thought somebody other than me would have found it odd by now. Check some facts bitch. All those fights he was in when he was still learning, where he nearly died. As just as kid, that should have killed him, or me. But he didn't, and he recovered pretty fast too. That's clue one." He held up one finger, smirking slightly.

"At Battle City he drew far too heavily on the Disc, burning up his own power and relying on other people's, and having so much power in him was burning away at his insides. All that power without taking baby steps towards it...that should have killed him. But instead he got back up a few hours later, seized that energy, and walked into a major Darkness Game. That's clue two." The second finger came up.

"In that Darkness Game he was struck by some pretty serious blows, and his ribs shattered, sending bone through his body, piercing his lungs and a couple of other organs. Yeah, it seemed he was dead then, but a spirit inside took over, and that seemed to regenerate him, right? Well I'm obviously the only one who thinks its odd that despite that when they got back his body was still a wreck. But he was alive right? Clue three." Yumi frowned, seeing the facts but not quite seeing where it was going.

"I could keep going, but I'm already bored, and my theories aside it doesn't really matter. All I can say is that there's a bit of divine intervention going on here, and if that's the case, that means there's a reason I'm here. So no sad bitch like you will ever oust me." He snickered, laughing at his own minor joke.

"Talk all you want, I don't care! Your theories are nothing but that, just theories! I don't give a damn what you say, but I'll defeat you and bind the real Drake to me for all time! That way he'll always be with me, from now until the end of the world!" She held up her drawn card, finally deciding what to do with it.

"Keh, if I ever end up in that position I'll fucking end the world myself just to get away from you. But since that'll never happen, I guess the world is safe. Besides, I'm an asshole and a major evil badass, but I ain't got no interest in ending the world." Yumi could have sworn she heard him mutter 'unlike some other psycho evil badasses I know'.

She snarled, irritated to hear him keep talking like that. "The card I have here is going to show you what it means to experience real pain, that's all there is to it. The ultimate card granted to me by my backer, and it's going to destroy you. Then I'll have the real you all to myeslf!"

Drake rolled his eyes, looking bored with the banter. "I've heard it all before. 'This is the ultimate monster, and with it in play your end is certain!' Blah de fucking blah! It's all the same, and it never actually works. The ultimate monster or ultimate card is always too pathetic to do the job, and never quite as tough as is boasted. And for the last fucking time, this is the real me!"

"Not the ultimate card you say? Well I'll prove you wrong! You can't stop this card at all, and even at your current level of life points there's nothing you can do to stop it! I play this unstoppable card: Essence of Death!" Drake's eyes widened as a huge flow of energy surged around in the darkness.

Something was building up, something enormously powerful, waiting to be unleashed upon him. "What in the world is this power? I've never felt an aura of such enormous dark strength!"

She threw back her head and laughed as pure darkness flowed around her. "Essence of Death is a simple card that has no activation cost. My backer said there was one draw back, but that it wasn't in the text and I shouldn't be concerned. And I'm not, especially considering the effect of the card."

As the energy continued to gather, Drake couldn't help but ask the question that he was itching to ask. "What effect? What does your card do?"

"It's effect is simple. It reads as follow: You win the game." Drake stared at her blankly, and then threw back his head and laughed.

"Oh that's a good one! For a second there I thought your card was really as deadly as you were making it out to be, but now it seems that you don't have a leg to stand on. You win the game? That's impossible for a card effect. Industrial Illusions would never print something like that." Yumi smirked, and flipped around the card.

Drake looked at it, surprised to see what it looked like. Unlike normal cards, which had certain border colors depending on their type, this card had a pure black border. The picture was blank, but it seemed to flicker every now and then with different images, all of them terrible. And there, underneath the picture, printed in simple text were four words. "You win the game? That's the effect..."

"That's right! Now, thanks to the power of Essence of Death, you instantly lose! Say goodbye, and then prepare yourself to say hello to eternity with me!" She rubbed her hands in anticipation as the dark energy hurled itself at Drake, slamming down on top of him and covering him in it.

"In mere moments I'll have everything I've ever wanted. And all of it thanks to the most unstoppable card in the existence of the game!" Her hands stopped rubbing together when a pillar of darkness exploded out of the darkness, and that darkness was pushed backwards.

The tide of darkness burst, revealing Drake standing there, his body wreathed in black flame. And he looked extremely pissed off. "Bitch...did you really think you were the only person with cards that shouldn't exist? I don't know why you were given a card like that, but its not enough to beat me."

"What? But how, its effect should have finished you off right then and there!" She stumbled backwards, terrified by the look on his face. He sneered and pointed to his forehead, where the symbol for 'darkness' still burned.

"When I stated this game I had this power active, and now it's time I used one of its effect. Heart of Darkness prevents me from losing the game due to dark effects. In other words, you can't defeat the darkness with more darkness. Nice try wench, but now I'm really pissed off!" The black flame picked up even further, tossing her backwards.

She stumbled, and her veins pulsed with energy as the Blood within her fought back. But almost immediately it was defeated, the energy having been too sapped by the duel to make a decent fight. "You can't hurt me directly like this, it's against the rules of the Darkness Game!"

"Don't be stupider than you already are. Me and the Heart of Darkness...we're one and the same. If there's any power in this world that can command the Darkness with complete impunity...it's me. With the Heart of Darkness in me, the only rules in a Darkness Game...are my rules!" His power flared up again, and the darkness around them quivered in response.

"I...I end my turn." There was nothing else she could do, not now that Drake had stopped her only method at beating him that she had left. There was no hope for her victory now.

Drake drew once and then sighed the moment he saw it. Yumi released the breath she had been holding in fear of his draw. "Looks like you didn't draw anything good."

He shrugged, shaking his head slightly. "Actually, it didn't matter what I drew since there's nothing else you have that will stop Nightmare Poison Needle from killing you next turn. I was just hoping to draw something to finish you off now...and I have."

He flashed her a smirk and flipped the card around, slamming it into his dark duel disk. "Burn bitch! Activate Death Bomb! This magic card deals you one hundred points of damage for every face down card I have on the field, and I have two times as many as I need. So, say goodbye!" Yumi took one step backwards as a small ticking bomb appeared in front of her. She knew what was going to happen.

"No...I was guaranteed victory!" Drake shrugged, obviously not caring about her guarantees.

"I hope you kept the receipt on that prediction, because you'll be wanting your money back in about three seconds. No wait, make that right now." And with those words said, the bomb exploded.

The smoke cleared away, revealing a haggard looking Yumi, her clothing burnt and torn, her skin peeling. The remains of the Blood in her system had done its best to protect her, but it wasn't able to do so perfectly. "I lost..." (YLP: 0)

"Damn right you did. I said at the start that compared to me you were nothing. I originally would have said that you were worthless, not even worth spending time on, but there are two reasons why you are. And here's the first one." He reached down and plucked a card out of her cemetery, holding it up to see.

As the darkness of his aura spread out over the card, the text began to change, and words appeared after the four words that had previously made up all of the text. The moment Drake saw them, he couldn't help but laugh. "The ultimate card...with the ultimate penalty. How very interesting...guess I'll just have to find a way around it."

He slid the card into his deck and then glanced down at Yumi, who was looking up at him with both hope and fear. "What now? What do you intend to do? And what's the second reason anyways?"

"Second reason? That's simple. Basically you're my mother, or rather my creator. It was your efforts that created me as a personality inside of Drake, just waiting to be free. So that means that you're one of the three people in the entire world who might have a chance of putting me back." He crouched down, stroking a hand against her cheek, smiling in a very friendly manner.

"Do you know what that means Yumi?" The ex-convict shook her head slowly, not able to look away from Drake's burning violet orbs.

"It means that I can't afford to let you live. So, as for your punishment game...eat yourself." There was a heavy silence that followed those words as they were mulled over and over.

"Umm...what?" That was about the only thing that Yumi could think to say.

"Feeling hungry aren't we? I won't see you around, ever." The darkness shook, and then vanished as if it had never been there. As Drake turned away, something came over Yumi, and she did something she never would have done under any normal circumstances. She bit through her pinky, and began to chew.

As her teeth ground down on the finger, small whimpers came from Yumi's occupied mouth, which had blood sliding down the corners. But even as her teeth continued to do their dirty work, tearing into the flesh of her own body, the person who had inflicted the punishment wasn't paying attention.

He was looking around at the previously occupied room, finding that he was alone, besides the suddenly voracious woman behind him. The door to the room was open, but there was no sign of the other previous occupant.

"They always run. Why do they always run?"

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Author's Notes: Getting freaked out yet? If not, we're just getting started.

_Next Time: Every negative aspect of Drake all in one person, and all of that negative emotion is focused on one goal. Hunting down Kirani Kajika and eliminating the last chance that the good aspects of his personality can return. In order to stop this from happening those who have committed evil acts must stand to seek their redemption against a greater darkness._

_See it all in,_ _Last Stand of the Rare Hunters!_

_Review Response_

The White Mage: And now you know.

Time Mage: We talked about this, so very little response. Other than to say that her backer will be revealed in due time.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, all dead. Not mostly.

WolfGeneral: It gets worse, trust me.

_Original Cards_

Yumi: Hell Tree, Hell Bee, Hell Falcon, Essence of Death

Drake: Bone Shatter, Severed Spine, Nightmare Poison Needle, Mind Shatter, Skull Impact, Heart of Darkness, Death Bomb

_Anime/Manga Cards_

Drake: Steal the Sleeping's Breath


	5. Last Stand of the Rare Hunters

Author's Note: Rare Hunter fans...beware.

**_Chapter Four: Last Stand of the Rare Hunters_**

Kirani slumped against the seat of the car, breathing deeply in order to calm her nerves. She had awoken part-way through the Darkness Game, just in time to see the power that this dark Drake possessed. She left as soon as she could, knowing it'd be dangerous to be around him immediately.

Her first thought was to get in touch with Dalin, the one person she could think of who would know how to handle something like this. The problem with her plan was that she had no idea where Dalin was, and his number was unavailable. The few times he had contacted them before his number had been unlisted and untraceable. He was practically a ghost.

At the current moment she had one final hope to help her out, a secret she had been keeping for a number of years now. The only people she instantly knew of that could help were all wanted for various crimes, most of them relatively minor, but the largest crime was being part of a special syndicate known only to the word as the Ghouls, or, the Rare Hunters.

The Rare Hunters were wanted men, but they were all experienced in the supernatural thanks to interacting with Malik. If anybody could assist her at this moment, at least until she could get together some of the old gang, it would be them. "Let's just hope they're here right now."

Sliding out of the car, Kirani made her way towards the small apartment building. Nobody knew it but her, but the building was in fact rented out exclusively by the remaining Rare Hunters. They still had resources from the sale of cards they had stolen over the years they had operated, and from what she knew it was enough to keep them going. "Come on guys...be there."

She stepped up to the box and pressed the speaker button in order to send her call in. "It's Kirani."

There was a slight pause, and then the door slid open. Releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Kirani headed on in. There to greet her were several of the lower ranked Rare Hunters, men and women who hadn't done any dueling for Malik, but had been involved in operations that required force or finesse other than dueling talent. "Welcome back into the fold Kirani."

The chestnut haired girl tilted her head up, and found someone sitting on the steps. Wearing a top hat and a mask was none other than one of the higher ranker Rare Hunters, Arkana. "Arkana, good to see you. I've got a problem that I need help with."

And so she began to explain the situation to them.

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Drake pulled on the break, slowing his motorcycle to a halt. Quickly he stepped off of it, and put the stand up. Then he dropped his helmet on the seat and turned, making a cursory inspection of Kirani's car. "So...she's still here."

"Kirani, come on out! There's no point hiding, so come out and get what's coming to you!" He tilted his head to the side, waiting for some sort of response. Finally after several seconds a window at the top opened, and something was hurled down.

Drake's hand snapped out and caught the brick in mid-air, before it could crash into his skull. Dark energy flaring around him he crushed it into powder and glared up at the window. "Very fucking funny. Now get your ass down here, or I'll bring the whole fucking building down around you!"

"To think that you used to be a Rare Hunter, how pathetic. I thought that Rare Hunters were supposed to be powerful, when it seems that all you are is a weakling." The front door opened, and out walked a man in his early thirties, with dark brown hair and a thin face. Drake recognized him.

"Momotoro...you're the same weak Rare Hunter I dueled to become one of you, aren't you?" The man growled and nodded, obviously remembering his defeat against the former rookie duelist. He also knew that Drake's skill had groan enormously since that moment.

"That's right, and I'm here to challenge you to a rematch! Win and we'll let you pass by me. Lose, and you're out of here for good and you don't bother Kirani." He raised his arm, a duel disk clicking into place. (MLP: 4000)

"You're challenging me to a duel? Or perhaps a Darkness Game? Well then, although you're no challenge to me, who am I to refuse a rematch? It'll be fun kicking your ass, so let the darkness begin!" He raised his left arm into the air, and dark fog rolled in around their feet, the clouds above the apartment building darkening as well. (DLP: 4000)

Momotoro flipped his cards out like he was snapping a fan open. He narrowed his eyes, seeing flashes of their past duel. The sting of Drake's ultimate monster's blade still was there. A crushing defeat, and now he would get revenge. "I summon White Magician Pikeru(1200/0) in attack mode!"

A young girl in a white dress appeared. She clutched a white wand in one hand, and had a hat over her pink hair that was like a scapegoat. "During each of my standby phases she raises my life points by four hundred for each monster on my field. Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

Drake looked through his own hand of six cards, looking for potential strategies. "Ah, this should do nicely. I'll set two cards face down, and then end my turn."

Momotoro looked at him oddly, but was already in the process of playing a card. "In your end phase I trigger Scapegoat, one of my two face down cards. And now...I draw!"

The moment he drew Pikeru raised her wand, and rays of pink light slammed into Momotoro's duel disk. "Since I have five monsters Pikeru will now grant me two thousand life points!"

"Dumbass, I already knew your strategy from last time, and I knew you would have set Scapegoat. You were something of a challenge way back then, but now I'm far stronger. So, I reveal Bad Reaction to Shimochi!" Momotor's eyes widened as the energy turned red, and burned at his arm. (MLP: 2000)

The older man clawed at his arm, the red hot duel disk searing his flesh. "Get it off!"

"Better end your turn old man, your chances of winning this duel are already zero, so you should just finish up faster." Momotaro groaned in pain, grabbing at his arm. At the same time he looked over his hand of cards, trying to think of a counter strategy.

'_All I have is Dian Keto the Cure Master, Armored Lizard(1500/1200), Royal Keeper(1600/1700), and Draining Shield. My face down card is also Draining Shield...so in the end it's useless. Unless I attack now!'_ Desperate for an answer he looked up at Pikeru.

"Attack him directly!" Pikeru raised her wand...and then quivered and dropped into a crouching position, shielding her face from Drake.

"Fear's Release is a continuous trap card that forces all monsters into defense and keeps them there. And if I'm right...you lose since Pikeru's effect isn't optional." Momotoro glanced back at the door, knowing that he was going to fall. So he saw only one choice...and placed his hand over his deck. (M: Forfeit)

His body began to spasm wildly, and it started to squeeze together. Snapping sounds could be heard, and those who had been watching from the apartment building all turned away. The only one still watching as Momotoro's body was compacted into a tiny ball of human flesh was Drake. "Now that's pretty cool. I didn't know a human being could get so small."

Grabbing the ball of flesh that was once Momotoro in his hand, Drake pulled his arm back and hurled it into the air, sending it sailing directly through the window. "Kirani, that's exactly what awaits any of these fools who dares to get in my way! Do you still intend to send them to their deaths just to protect your sorry ass, or will you come down? If you don't, I'll rip through each and every last one of them one by one!"

"She didn't ask us to protect her, we're doing it because if Malik was the father and leader figure of the Rare Hunters, then Kirani was the mother, who tended to us no matter what the situation was. So we won't let anyone touch her, even you." Drake looked back to the door, where a blue haired man with sallow skin was standing.

"Oh, Zane, the self-proclaimed Rare Hunter. Still cowering behind your fake Exodia cards, or have you gained a strategy to go with a much needed spine?" The Rare Hunter growled in irritation, even as the fog swirled around his feet, initiating the Darkness Game. (DLP: 4000)

"I'll show you Drake! You were a cocky punk even when you joined us, thinking you were too good for the rest of us. But now, now you're going to get what you deserve! Exodia will obliterate you!" Drake just smirked, not bothering to tell this man that once his other personality had defeated three duelists who used the three different methods of instant win. (ZLP: 4000)

Upstairs in the building Kirani watched, horrified at seeing what the man she loved was now capable of. This personality that had been released, it was terrifying to watch. Yet still, the Rare Hunters in the room wouldn't let her go down. Instead they were trying to use various methods to get in touch with Drake. "Trust us Kirani, he wouldn't duel you, he'd just kill you. We can defend you, and if we win he'll be set right. So stay here, and we'll take care of it."

Unable to make a true protest, Kirani could only watch as the duel between Drake and Zane got underway. Zane was already deciding on his first move. "I start by setting a monster in defense mode. Then I activate Magical Well, which places a magic card from my deck to my hand. This magic card cannot be set or activated in this turn. And that's all."

Drake eyed his hand of cards, deciding on a path of action. _'Although he doesn't know it yet, Zane has the best chance of beating me of any of these Rare Hunters. His strategy is a defensive one that reaches for Exodia. Normally I could still beat a defense player, but it takes longer, and if he gets the Exodia parts first...then I'm finished.'_

Despite the odd situation, he had no intention of losing to a pathetic coward like Zane. He despised the Exodia strategy, since it seemed like a weakling's way of gaining success against a stronger opponent. "I set three cards face down, and then I activate Death Awaits. Each of your turns you'll lose one hundred points for all of my set cards. Go."

Zane frowned, not quite sure why his opponent was being so swift with his moves. But his mind was taking off of that when the sharp blade of the reaper's scythe pressed against his throat, drawing blood. "Damn you..." (ZLP: 3700)

Drake didn't even respond in words, he merely folded his arms across his chest, waiting for Zane to make his move. "So confident...but I'll show you! Activate Card in Hand, which lets me place one monster from my deck to my hand."

He flipped through his cards, finally settling on the Left Leg of Exodia, which he placed in his hand. "Next I play Blast Sacrifice, which lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to destroy two face down cards on your field, so say goodbye to your two!"

Two of Drake's face down cards exploded into millions of fragments, but one of them reformed into the imagine of a severed green hand, dripping blood onto a canvas, spelling out words. "You destroyed Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet. Now I get to guess the bottom card of my deck's type, and if I'm right I draw five cards. Of course it's a trap."

He held up the drawn card, revealing it to be Dark Mirror Force. So he slid the card into his graveyard and grabbed up five cards off the top of his deck. "So what? I sacrificed Sangan(1000/600) so I now get to add a monster with fifteen hundred attack or less from my deck to my hand!"

Zane plucked Right Arm of Exodia from his deck and added it to his other cards, giving him a grand total of six cards in his hand, two of them being Exodia pieces. "I play Monster Reincarnation, discarding Blast Held By A Tribute from my hand in order to pick up my Sangan."

He slapped down the card, bringing the furry vicious demon back into play. "Sangan, attack him directly!" The demon charged in, slashing its claws at Drake.

"I see...so you want me to kill Sangan in order to give you another Exodia piece, or to just let you have it pass by and hit me? Fine, whatever." The claws raked his chest, but he responded by punching the demon square in the face, sending it tumbling backwards. (DLP: 3000)

"You didn't fall for it, pity. Fine, I'll just set one card face down." The card appeared behind his Sangan, and then it was Drake's turn again.

Drake glanced at the eight cards he was holding, and then at his two cards on the field. "I guess it's time to heat things up a bit. First I activate Expanding Shadows, which doesn't take up a zone and doubles the number of magic and trap cards I can place in a zone!"

Because of the shadows that were already creeping around the field there was no visible change, but even Zane could see what was coming next. "Now I set the remaining seven cards I hold face down on the field and end my turn."

Zane drew, but was immediately injured by the effect of Death Awaits. "I'm not going to give in because of one magic card, I'll get Exodia before your effects can defeat me!" (ZLP: 2900)

He glanced down at his set card, and then pressed a button on his DD2. "Activate trap, Assault on Goblin Head Quarters! This destroys one monster on my field to blast two off your deck. So you lose two cards, and Sangan's effect lets me grab another weak monster!"

Using Sangan's ability he grabbed Right Leg of Exodia, giving him three pieces and three other cards to work with. "I play Spell Reproduction, discarding Double Spell and Card Destruction from my hand in order to grab a magic card from my grave. Now...I play Card in Hand!"

With his magic card's effect he grabbed Left Arm of Exodia, leaving him with four of the pieces in his hand and no other cards. Although he was defenseless, he knew Drake wouldn't be attacking him. "I end my turn at that."

Drake drew, and then slid the card onto his duel disk. "I'm guessing by that quick end that already you hold four pieces of Exodia. Guess I'll just have to destroy you before you can grab the final piece. Isn't that right?"

Zane didn't answer, instead he drew. He gritted his teeth, holding perfectly still as the blade pressed against his neck, drawing even more blood from him. There was very little he could do at the moment to stop that, but all he needed was one piece and then he'd win. _'Just need to last a little longer.' _(ZLP: 2000)

"I play Different Dimension Capsule! This lets me place one card from my deck face down out of play, and on my second standby phase after activation it gets added to my hand." Quietly he placed Exodia the Forbidden One face down, and a casket appeared in front of him. In two turns it would open, and he would win.

"You're confident aren't you? On your second turn from now my Death Awaits will only have drained you of all but two hundred points, whereas you'll get Exodia completed. And since my field is full I can't play any new cards. Tough nut to crack...so I end my turn." Drake smirked, spinning the newest card he had drawn between his fingers.

The Rare Hunter frowned, not quite sure why Drake was so confident. As far as he could see there was no flaw in his plan, and so long as he didn't make a foolish attack he would win. "One more turn, and then victory is mine. Since you can't attack me...I end." (ZLP: 1100)

Up in the building, Kirani could barely watch. She knew Drake, even this new one, and she knew how he would duel, somehow she knew. "Zane...his face down cards...he can still play them even if you don't attack. He's going to destroy you with them before you get the last piece of Exodia."

Indeed, Drake was smirking even before he had looked at the card he had drawn. "You're so confident because you're an idiot. You fail to realize that not all traps require an attack to activate. So, I activate Cemetey Bomb, which deals one hundred damage to you for each card in your graveyard."

An explosion rocked the area, shattering the pavement and tossing Zane backwards. He rolled to a stop, his body looking beaten and bloodied. "No...ten cards in my grave...and all you needed was two." (ZLP: 100)

"Idiot, I won't even wait for your next turn! Reveal trap, Second Wind! This lets me reactive the first trap card that was played this turn, so get a second taste of Cemetery Bomb! This time it will blow you apart!" The detonation occurred directly below Zane, and his body was torn to pieces by the blast, leaving nothing but fried hunks of flesh left over. (ZLP: 0)

Not bothering to banish the darkness, Drake spread it out, encompassing the base of the building. "I'll destroy the next one as well Kirani. Surely you'll come down to save them from such a fate? Or perhaps you're not the kind person you think you are? That's it...you're just a cold hearted bitch!"

Kirani's sobs and desperate replies were halted by the hand that was over her mouth, as the Rare Hunters in the room held her back. They were doing their best, and they knew she couldn't go out there. But now, someone else was coming out to face Drake.

Wearing a nice suit, a top hat, and a fancy mask was one of the higher ranked Rare Hunters, Arkana, the so-called Master of Magicians. "Drake, you know the Rare Hunters aren't good guys. We're the bad guys...but you, you're something more than that as you are. And in order to gain redemption for the cruel actions in our past...we'll protect Kirani even if it requires piling our bodies up as a wall!"

"Bodies as a wall? Is that really what you want Arkana? Well then, who am I to ignore such a request. I'll make my way to the top of the building by building a rampart from the bodies of dead Rare Hunters...and I'll start with you!" Arkana felt a chill as the Darkness Game initiated. And he knew he had to do his best, and he had to win. (DLP: 4000, ALP: 4000)

Drake immediately fanned out his six cards, and then slid three of them onto his duel disk. "I'll start by going easy on you with these three face down cards. Then, that's the end of my turn."

Arkana drew, glad to see the image of his red robed Dark Magician(2500/2100). "I set two cards face down, and then I set a monster in defense mode. End."

The russet-haired duelist frowned, surprised that Arkana hadn't attacked. It seemed that these duelists were becoming progressively smarter, and maybe Arkana would be a real challenge. "My draw...and I set one card face down. End turn."

Once again it was Arkana's turn, and he looked determined. "Open face down card the first, Dust Tornado!"

A whirlwind shot out of the card, slamming into Drake's leftmost face down card, blowing it apart. He frowned, but otherwise didn't comment. "That it?"

"Not in the least! Second card activate! Cyclone!" Another blast of wind crushed the card that had been next to the previous one, leaving Drake with merely two face down cards on the field. But those would do the trick.

"You still look confident, so I'll crush that confidence by summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior(1900/1000) and I'll sacrifice his counter to destroy another of your set cards!" The second to last in the row blew apart, and now it was just one set card down on the field.

"Okay, so you've done well in eliminating my cards so far. But really, that won't do you any good. I can't be defeated by someone like you." Arkana sneered, confident that he could break Drake's strategy in this turn.

"You say you can't be beaten by me, but I beg to differ. That's why I flip summon Apprentice Magician(400/800) whose effect now places a magic counter on Breaker. And of course I sacrifice that counter to destroy another of your set cards!" Drake's eyes went wide as his final face down card was blown apart, leaving him with absolutely no defenses.

"I could attack you directly with these two...but instead I play Secondary Summon, which lets me pay five hundred life points to normal summon again this turn. So I offer both my monsters for the Dark Magician(2500/2100)!" The red robed and white haired version of the famous monster emerged from Arkana's card, now being the only thing in play. (ALP: 3500)

"You...you're much better than I ever would have guessed. But that doesn't mean you've won, not by far." Drake growled, irritated that this nobody had managed to break his line of traps so quickly.

"I may not have won yet, but I'm more than half way there. Dark Magic Attack!" Streamers of energy collided with Drake, shoving him backwards somewhat. But the Heart of Darkness pushed away the energy, keeping him safe. (DLP: 1500)

Drake sneered as he drew, knowing that all he had to deal with was the Dark Magician, and Arkana had only one card in his hand. Had he managed more than just one attack that turn, the duel would be done. But Arkana had failed the follow-up, and that would cost him. "Get ready to die Arkana, because I start off by activate Death of Trio Power!"

"According to the effect of this card I can discard one card from my hand to place any three cards from my deck to the grave that have the same name. And I know just what I want to place in the grave..." A quick scan of his deck gave him the cards he wanted, and he discarded them.

"What did you discard?" Arkana was nervous, not quite sure how to take Drake's newest play. Sending monsters to the grave made sense, but Drake's deck was purely magic and trap cards. So why place them in the grave?

"I chose each of my three Death Meteor cards. Their ability lets me deal one thousand points of damage to you. Of course I couldn't just count on drawing them, so I had to send them to the grave." Arkana's eyes showed fear behind his mask, as he began to realize that perhaps Drake intended to retrieve them all right now.

"I can see by the look in your eyes that you think I'm going to grab back my Death Meteors. Don't worry, I have no way of placing them in my hand right now. I have something different in mind." Despite this knowledge, Arakan didn't feel any better about the situation. Somehow he had a bad feeling about this.

Taking one of the two remaining cards from his hand, Drake held it up above his head, gathering power into it. "Get ready to become a part of my rampart Arkana. I play Armageddon Meteor!"

A massive ball of black flame swirled in the sky above, and came shrieking down towards the building. Or more specifically, towards Arkana. "Armageddon Meteor? What...what does it do?"

"Standard upon activation deals one thousand damage to your life points. But, the damage changes per Death Meteor in the grave. And with all three...its damage is set at the maximum of five thousand! Now, become my rampart to Kirani!" Arkana screamed as the fire of the meteor boiled away his flash, and melting the ground around him. (ALP: 0)

When the meteor faded away all that was left of Arkana was a burnt corpse with no flesh. And with a flick of his wrist Drake tossed the body against the side of the building. "That's the first step of the rampart. Who will become the second?"

Fear flickered through the Rare Hunters, as they understood perfectly that they faced a foe whose strength was much greater than their own. He wouldn't play around, and he wouldn't be afraid of anything they did. He was a foe that was beyond them in every aspect. "You understand now that you can't win...so what next?"

One of the younger Rare Hunters shook as he stepped out of the building, a duel disk shaking on his arm. Drake stared at him, and then past him at the rest of the building. "What is this? Where are the remaining strong members? Strings? Umbra? Lumis? Is a weakling like this all that the Rare Hunters have to offer me?"

The quivering Rare Hunter managed to stutter out a response. "T-they...they were arrested!"

Drake rolled his eyes and sighed, irritated to discover that the other three remaining strong Rare Hunters would be nowhere to be found. And since the most powerful of the actual Rare Hunters besides them was Rishid, there was no chance of a good duel from them anymore, since Rishid wouldn't be here. "Weaklings...every last one of you. And I have no intention of wasting time against opponents who cannot hope to even touch me. So...I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!"

The Rare Hunter never stood a chance as Drake came at him like a rocket. A blow to the sternum shattered the bones, including his ribs, dropping the boy like a stone. Immediately Rare Hunters surged out of the building, holding household appliances as weapons and ready to fight. "You want to challenge me in this manner? Bah! You can't beat me, I'll take you all on!"

The first one up hurled a television set at him, but he stepped to the side, letting it sail harmlessly past. Another rushed in, swinging a VCR like a baseball bat. Drake dropped under his swung and drove his fist up into the man's gut, dropping him like a rock. "This is nothing! Where's your strength? Where's the ferocity, the power of the Rare Hunters!"

A casual kick by the super-powered dark Drake snapped the neck of a Rare Hunter who had tried to attack him with a kitchen knife, and seeing this some of the others backed off, trying to encircle him. "So this is it then? This is the last stand of the Rare Hunters? You won't die shaking in fear like cowards, but instead embracing your deaths. If that's the case then I'll rip you apart in mere seconds as a matter of pride and honor!"

The massive group of Rare Hunters charged in, bringing their various and sundry weapons to bare on the dark duelist. Black flames leapt from his hands, incinerating them one by one, yet they didn't break their charge, and they died as they came after him. "I'll burn you all and send you to hell!"

"NOOO!" Drake's eyes went wide as an explosion of power rocked the building, and suddenly his black flames were hitting glowing barriers of red energy. The Rare Hunters looked as shocked as he was.

"Impossible! Normal magic shouldn't be able to stand up to the Heart of Darkness...so the only thing that could, is another Heart of Man." He pivoted on his heel, and found exactly who he was looking for. Wreathed in the red glow of the Heart of Love was none other than Kirani, and she was floating down from the top of the building.

"I've had enough of seeing this, so I'm here. Even if standing before you like this means my death, it's something I have to do. Even if you were Shinegami, the god of death I would still stand to face you. I love Drake Ihachi, so I won't stand down, and I won't let you hurt anyone else." Her power blazed, and Drake found his own power forced backwards by it. It was at least as powerful as he was, almost exactly even.

"You won't let me? Wench, you just don't get it do you? Nobody can stop me, not you, not Hikari, not even your precious savior Dalin. As I am now, there isn't a single person on the planet who can defeat me. Stare into the Heart of Darkness, stare into the eyes of your former lover, stare into the eyes of the darkness incarnate!" His dark power flared, forcing her power backwards.

"Any last words bitch?" He sneered, his eyes boring into hers, awaiting her final words in this life.

"Yes. I love you." His eyes widened, and then narrowed to mere pinpoints, fire growing in them.

"Wrong answer bitch! Now DIE!"

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Author's Notes: Lots of death...kinda freaky isn't it? Oh well, they were just Rare Hunters.

_Next Time: The Rare Hunters have fallen. Now all that stands between Kirani and the darkness of her lover's heart is love itself. Kirani must now take action and try to reach through the shadows and recover a fragment of the man she loved. But does any part of the Drake she knew remain?_

_See it all in,_ _Kirani's Plea to the Darkness!_

_Review Response_

The White Mage: Drake's got MPD. MPDMultiple Personality Disorder. He's also Obsessive Compulsive. Sucks to be him.

Time Mage: Your guesses about the Heart of Love were pretty accurate. Good job.

G.O.T. Nick: Now you know what I meant. In addition, you guessed right, Hikari is the third.

WolfGeneral: I thought it was a cool Punishment Game myself. I was hungry and thought about 'eating yourself to death' in the sense that you eat too much and die, and I came up with that punishment.

_Original Cards_

Drake: Fear's Release, Death Awaits, Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet, Expanding Shadows, Second Wind, Death of Trio Power, Armageddon Meteor

Zane: Magical Well, Blast Sacrifice, Card in Hand

Arkana: Secondary Summon

_Anime/Manga Cards_


	6. Kirani's Plea to the Darkness

Author's Note: First major duel of the story coming up...now!

_**Chapter Five: Kirani's Plea to the Darkness**_

_The massive group of Rare Hunters charged in, bringing their various and sundry weapons to bare on the dark duelist. Black flames leapt from his hands, incinerating them one by one, yet they didn't break their charge, and they died as they came after him. "I'll burn you all and send you to hell!"_

"_NOOO!" Drake's eyes went wide as an explosion of power rocked the building, and suddenly his black flames were hitting glowing barriers of red energy. The Rare Hunters looked as shocked as he was._

"_Impossible! Normal magic shouldn't be able to stand up to the Heart of Darkness...so the only thing that could, is another Heart of Man." He pivoted on his heel, and found exactly who he was looking for. Wreathed in the red glow of the Heart of Love was none other than Kirani, and she was floating down from the top of the building._

"_I've had enough of seeing this, so I'm here. Even if standing before you like this means my death, it's something I have to do. Even if you were Shinegami, the god of death I would still stand to face you. I love Drake Ihachi, so I won't stand down, and I won't let you hurt anyone else." Her power blazed, and Drake found his own power forced backwards by it. It was at least as powerful as he was, almost exactly even._

"_You won't let me? Wench, you just don't get it do you? Nobody can stop me, not you, not Hikari, not even your precious savior Dalin. As I am now, there isn't a single person on the planet who can defeat me. Stare into the Heart of Darkness, stare into the eyes of your former lover, stare into the eyes of the darkness incarnate!" His dark power flared, forcing her power backwards._

"_Any last words bitch?" He sneered, his eyes boring into hers, awaiting her final words in this life. _

"_Yes. I love you." His eyes widened, and then narrowed to mere pinpoints, fire growing in them._

"_Wrong answer bitch! Now DIE!"_

Kirani didn't even manage to blink in the space of time it took for Drake to cross the distance between them, becoming a blur as he moved. Unfortunately for him the fist he swung at her slammed into a glowing barrier of red energy. "Not used for offense...how could I forget?"

Drake jumped backwards, eyeing Kirani and assessing the situation. Kirani stood still, waiting and watching him. _'The Heart of Love just based on its own nature can't be used for an attack, but it makes the perfect defense. Or at least against something that isn't stronger...so let's test it.'_

"Here I come again, but this time, I'm not holding back!" He blurred again, making it impossible for Kirani to track him. In less than a second he reappeared behind her and released a blast of pure dark energy from his right hand.

Kirani's barrier quivered under the assault, but after a few moments of struggle Drake's dark energy fizzled out. "You can't kill me like this...and I won't let you kill anyone else."

"You won't let me? No wench, I won't let you live. Let's go for round two!" The ground around his feet started to shake as dark power gathered in the palm of his hand, forming a jet black ball that seemed to consume the light. It quickly reached the size of a baseball, then a basketball, and soon it was half Drake's size.

"No...don't! Everyone else will be caught in the blast!" Drake just smirked smugly and wound back his arm. Kirani began to think fast, and in response her instincts reacted with the Heart of Love.

"That's kinda the point. Die already!" He hurled the sphere of darkness at her, but was astonished when the barrier he had been expected inverted inwards, and began to climb upwards. The sphere of darkness was diverted along that path and sent hurtling into the air, where it exploded harmlessly several hundred feet above their heads.

Despite his surprise, Drake saw this as the perfect opportunity when all of her energy was leeched into diverted the attack's direction to protect her precious companions. "Last mistake for you, this is the end!"

His right arm burst through the minimal barrier she had still around her body, and his fingers clamped down around her throat. "This is a feeling I can certainly say I enjoy. The feel of your frail neck in my hand. Did you know it only takes a pound of pressure to break skin?"

Kirani whimpered as his fingers began pressing into the sides of her throat. "A little bit more and we'll get some real blood. And you have no idea how much I love that thought. It'll feel fantastic, your blood running down my hand. But the biggest question I have for you, is will you scream before the end?"

When all she did was struggle against his implacable grip, he snarled in frustration. "Answer me bitch or I'll kill you right this second! What do you have to say? Will you scream?"

He loosened his grip somewhat, giving her a chance to bring in the precious air needed to give an answer. "No. I'll die peacefully, because deep inside I know that the man I love will come back when he sees what has happened. My death will be the catalyst to bring back the real Drake."

Furious, he started to respond, his eyes blazing with hatred. "Listen here you little bitch, there is no mor...what the fuck?"

His change in phrase was caused by a strange tingling sensation that was growing in his right hand. A tingling that was starting to become a burning sensation. One look at his arm gave him an answer to what was happening. "Impossible! You fucking bitch, you don't even know what you're doing!"

The arm that held Kirani a foot above the ground was now shaking violently, all of the veins on it bulging out obscenely and glowing red. Every single muscle in his arm was knotted up, and he could no longer apply pressure to her neck. "Damn!"

Realizing he couldn't hold on any longer, Drake hurled her backwards, sending her skidding into the nearby Rare Hunters, who stopped her. Turning his attention to his damaged arm, he focused his energies into it, and darkness spread through the veins, purging her magic and repairing the arm. "So the power of the Heart of Love is something I can't defeat because some part of my soul is connected to yours. I can't break the Heart of Love with a direct attack, and I can't kill you physically because of that bond. Dilemma..."

As he deliberated the situation, the Rare Hunters who still remained helped Kirani back onto her feet. She felt a little unsteady, and a wave of nausea came up from the pit of her gut. Leaning forward she emptied the minimal contents of her stomach on the ground. The sting in her throat was great, most of what she had just thrown up was stomach acid. _'Not now...I have to keep fighting until he's back.'_

The energy within her pulsed, and she felt her strength return, the nausea passing as the Heart of Love answered her plea. With renewed vigor she stood on her own two legs and watched the dark version of her lover cautiously. _'What's he up to now?'_

Drake snapped his fingers as if suddenly coming to a conclusion, and then looked up at her. "Hey wench, what would you say if I gave you the perfect opportunity to win back your precious lover boy? One Darkness Game, winner take all."

Kirani hid her frown, but inside she was wary of accepting the challenge. _'This newfound power from the Heart of Love could keep me going in a Darkness Game better than I could against Yumi, but would it be enough?'_

Another pulse from within her gave her the courage to give a response. "I accept your challenge! If I win the duel the man I love will no longer have to deal with sharing his body with any sick personality like you!" Her duel disk flipped into position, her deck ready. (KLP: 4000)

Her foe, the dark personality of the man she loved, seemed to be considering something as he activated his own duel disk, getting it and his deck ready. "I haven't decided on your punishment for losing yet, but it will involve some sort of gruesome death. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll make you into my perfect woman and let you live. How would you like to be the darkest version of yourself?" (DLP: 4000)

"I'd like that just about as much as colon cancer. Let's get this over with, I want the man I love back. Let's duel!" In just a few seconds they each drew their opening hands and decided on the plays that they could make, depending on who went first.

Drake sneered, obviously satisfied with whatever he had drawn. "I'm in something of a generous mood today since I've killed a few people. So why don't you go ahead and take the first turn?"

Immediately she drew a sixth card, and then her gaze turned up to him as she held her cards in preparation for making her move. "You're going to regret that decision in about ten seconds. First, Gilford of Thunder(1800/400), say hello!"

The slimmer and younger version of her key monster coalesced from holographic particles, taking the stage as the first card played. "And then you draw one card from the top of your deck, and one from the bottom. I know your entire deck Kirani, I'm the same person as Drake, just much darker. And in case you'd forgotten, in all the years we've known each other, you've never beaten me in a duel."

Kirani frowned, knowing that to be the truth. Despite the fact that she always gave Drake a challenge, she had never once been able to defeat him. Even though this Drake's deck was a different type and playing style than her Drake's, she knew they were just as good as each other. "Even so, I intend to show you my strength and bring him back. Activate magic card, Quick Attack!"

The dark duelist bit back a gasp of surprise. "Damn you bitch...you'll pay for this, I can guarantee it."

"We'll see. Quick Attack now lets Gilford of Thunder attack instantly, so here he comes! Thunder Slash!" The warrior's sword slashed across Drake's middle, but he resisted the force of the strike and didn't budge at all. But the damage was done. (DLP: 2200)

"Coming at me that harsh from turn one? You're dead serious about this aren't you? But really, it can't help you at all." He smirked smugly, still confident despite the early lead Kirani had taken.

Not bothering to look over the rest of her cards again since she already knew what was there, Kirani decided on the remains of her move. "My turn is over."

Drake licked his lips and snapped another card off his deck, sliding it into his hand with his other cards. Then he grasped the card on the far left and slipped it into his disk. "I know what you were thinking. You thought that it was useless to set traps, since I don't attack because I have no monsters. Well, you guessed wrong. Death Banshee!"

An unearthly wail met the ears of everyone in the area, and they all covered their ears, feeling pain slam into their skulls. All of them except for Drake. "Ah, such a lovely song. This magic card brings out my Death Banshee(2200/1500), a token with deadly attack power. Time for its test drive, cut down Gilford of Thunder!"

The ghostly form of Death Banshee tilted her head back and let out the exact same wail as before. Everyone was covering their ears, but it seemed to be much worse for Gilford of Thunder. The warrior's hands clawed at his ears, his body shaking as blood began to flow out from the corners of his eyes and from inside his ears. "Guess he's not a fan." (KLP: 3800)

As the song of the banshee faded, Kirani managed to recover herself enough to notice the oddity that was her life points. "What?"

Drake smirked, well aware that the banshee's shriek had shaken her enough that she could barely form the base of the question she wanted to ask. Perfect already. "Death Banshee has no cost for summoning, and has great attack, so it's only fair that all damage inflicted by her is cut in half. On that piercing note, I'll end my turn."

But the end of his turn was not quite as simple as he might have led others to believe. Instead he added two cards two his field, placing them behind his deadly token. "Go ahead lover girl, show me if you can still duel after that. It was only a little music after all."

Gripping the top card of her deck, she snatched it up, holding it before her eyes. "And some people think death metal is painful. Well, I'm going to cut your banshee's song short by summoning Berserker Gilford(3000/0)!"

The hulking form of her strongest base attacker formed, gripping his bloodied and rusted sword in one massive hand. Scratching at flies that buzzed around his blood caked form, the behemoth of a warrior seemed unconcerned by anything around him. "More of Kaiba's upgrades...or your work?"

"Does it really matter? Now make your fucking move already, my non-existent patience is just about up." He tapped his foot impatiently, eager for her to take her move. Or perhaps he was just eager to inflict his punishment on her, whatever it might be.

"You're dark and evil...but that doesn't make you powerful! Drake was strong because of his passion and heart, because of the good in him, and that's something I'm going to teach you before the duel is over. Berserker, attack Death Banshee!" Hearing his queue the beastly warrior bit his cheek, drawing blood and sending him into a berserker frenzy.

With his blood rage in full swing, Berserker Gilford raised his mighty claymore and hurled himself at the banshee. She watched him come, unconcerned because she was an omen of death, and therefor already dead. "You've seen my strategy and still you attack anyways? Well fine, you'll have to die for such arrogance!"

Drake pointed to his set card on the right, and it lifted up, revealing a trap, just as she had expected. "This trap is appropriate I think. Love's Death destroys a monster on your field, and if I have any I lose one as well. We each take five hundred damage."

Death Banshee sailed over to Berserker Gilford and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in to give him the kiss of death. "Oh, and on that casual note when Death Banshee dies I don't lose life points, so only you will take damage."

Kirani didn't seem worried though, and she immediately slammed a card from her hand onto her duel disk. "Don't you dare underestimate me! Activate To Part The Sky! This sacrifices Berserker Gilford and brings back Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) from the grave!" She drew by its effect as it reappeared.

Drake scowled, realizing that she had successfully avoided his trap's damaging effect by sacrificing her monster. Since Berserker Gilford hadn't actually been destroyed, that meant she took no damage. "Bitch...you're just lucky."

"It's not luck, it's skill. Gilford of Thunder, attack him directly!" The reborn warrior raised his sword and charged at Drake, point of his blade extended out.

"Bah, I don't take damage so easily as that. Reverse card open, Crashing Down! This removes your monster from play and deals half its attack in damage to your life points!" Darkness rolled over the Gilford, and soon he was gone, leaving no trace except the ticking of Kirani's life points falling. (KLP: 2900)

"I set two cards face down, and then I end my turn." Now she was the only one of them with set cards, and she knew they would protect her. After all, despite having one card like Death Banshee, it was unlikely this dark Drake would have any other similar cards. So he wouldn't be attacking.

The dark personality added his newest card to his hand, and seemed on the verge of laughter as he surveyed the situation. "I admit, you caught me off guard there. I didn't think you'd adapt so quickly and be able to counteract my strategy. But in the end, it's pointless. You can't beat me, just as you can't bring back your precious lover."

"We'll see won't we? I have to try, no matter what I have to. I love the real Drake too much to give up, so I'll fight to the last. If you're there Drake, if you're in there, please hear me and know that I'm going to bring you back!" Tears built in her eyes, and she fought them back, knowing that showing weakness now wouldn't help.

"He can't hear you, he's been sealed away by the power of the darkness. Thanks to Yumi's semi-success in your Darkness Game against her, I was released, which means no mere words can release him. So make your pleas to the darkness all you wish, but it won't do you any good." This time he did laugh, a dark and sinister thing that sent chills down Kirani's spine.

"Now, in order to always have the advantage I'll have to dip into the powers of hell. Activate continuous magic card, Hell Greed. At a mandatory cost of one hundred life points each turn, this truly unfair card will let me draw two cards in my standby phase." Kirani frowned, knowing that this draw power would quickly give him a major advantage on her.

"Finally I set two of these cards from my hand onto my field, and end my turn." An additional pair of cards emerged in front of him, potentially protecting him from Kirani's assaults. But the thing she really had to worry about was effect damage.

Kirani drew, restoring her hand to six cards. Thanks to the draw power of Gilford of Thunder she still had plenty of options, and right now she could see a move that just might get past his defenses. "I set one monster."

Drake eyed the monster, knowing that couldn't be all she was planning. "Now using its effect I special summon Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in attack mode!"

The lithe rapier wielding warrior darted out to the field, dancing from foot to foot. "He's eager to go into battle, so I'll give him his gift and attack you directly!"

Charging in at great speeds, the thin warrior moved to stab Drake in the chest. But he stumbled backwards as a giant black cylinder appeared directly in front of him. "Idiot, you activated my trap, Death Cylinder! This will destroy your attacking monster and deal one thousand damage to your life points!"

"Not so fast dark boy! Activate monster special ability, Polar Opposite(0/0), do your stuff!" Her face down monster flipped up, showing itself as a mechanical device that opened up and using a vortex pulled the cylinder into it. Then it exploded, raining fragments down on the field. (KLP: 1900)

"I see, you set Polar Opposite in order to absorb the effect of my trap, saving your Gilford the Swift and letting its attack continue. Very impressive." The rapier stabbed into his side, effortlessly slipping into his flesh. The warrior jumped backwards, pulling the blade out and letting blood trickle from the stab wound. (DLP: 800)

"Looks like you're not as strong as I had guessed, you aren't even anywhere near Drake's level! All you are is a dark imitation!" Drake chuckled and motioned with his duel disk clad left arm. In response his final face down card lifted up, and dark energy flowed around his body.

"Actually, I'm every bit as good, if not better. I figured you'd find a way to make your attack go through, so I had this prepared. Darkness Infusion activates only when I receive a direct attack. I gain double that monster's attack power as life points." The dark power died away, having healed his life points and the stab wound. (DLP: 3600)

"You're not the only one you can gain life points! When your trap destroyed Polar Opposite I was able to trigger my continuous trap, Lightning Energy Charge! This trap activates its effect when I lose a monster to an effect, and it restores five hundred of my life points." Blue lightning arced from her now face-up trap to her body, but instead of damaging her it seemed to strengthen her. (KLP: 2400)

"Well now, looks like you'll be the best challenge I've had in quite some time. The last challenge this deck ever had was Drake himself, when the one you know as the Dark Spirit adopted my persona, using my soul in Drake as a vessel to battle you precious lover. Sadly he failed because he was too confident, but I? I won't make that same mistake, and I will win." He smirked, confident in his coming success.

Kirani filed this information away for later use, knowing that she would have to ask Drake about this experience when she had brought him back. For now she'd have to just play on. "One card face down, then end."

Drake snatched another card off his deck, and then felt a bit of energy from his body seep away as Hell Greed activated its effect. "Remember, one hundred life points for two cards." He drew twice, giving him four cards. (DLP: 3500)

"Keh...looks like in truth you just can't keep up with my power. No matter how hard you try, you will always fall short of my strength. Two cards face down, and then end." He seemed calm again, not confident or angry, or anything else. Just cold and ready for anything.

'_Every time that Drake gets that sort of focus it means he's ready to really get down to business, or that he's bluffing his ass off. But the problem is, this guy knows I can read Drake, so in reality there's no way to tell what he's doing.'_ Although she was bothered by the problem, she was still able to draw for her turn.

When she saw the card she had drawn, she realized she had no need to be worried at all, not anymore at least. "Reverse card open, Cost Down!"

Drake didn't even blink as she slid a card from her hand into the graveyard to power the effect of Cost Down. Thanks to that card she had just dropped the level of all monsters in her hand by two for the turn, which could only mean one thing. "So, he's making his debut is he?"

"That's right, but first I have a special card to play. I'm sure you'll recognize it, because it's the perfect card for here and now! Crash of Thunder prevents all chaining to the summoning and attack of Gilford in this turn!" An echoing boom shook the area, and crackling electricity slipped around Drake's set cards like a noose, binding them for the moment.

Seeing what was coming, he seemed suitably impressed. "Looks like you've got real strength, but like I said before, no matter how hard you try you will always fall short."

"I'll show you that your darkness isn't true power, it's the man within you that has the real strength! To do so I sacrifice Gilford the Swift to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) into play!" The mighty cornerstone of her deck descended from the sky, raising his massive sword to the heavens, roaring his battle cry.

"Now Gilford, show him your power and mine, cut your way past the darkness to release the man within! Thunderbolt Cut!" Lightning streaked from the warrior's blade and into Drake's body, causing his muscles to spasm wildly. He fell to his knees, his body shaking as many thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body. (DLP: 700)

He came back to his feet, and saw her waiting there, her body still sheathed by that infernal power of the Heart of Love, keeping her going. _'She's truly powerful, beyond any normal opponent I could face. This is the first step, once she's gone there is just one more who could return me to normal. Then I'll be able to wreak havoc on this world without any hindrance!'_

Seeing that her turn was done, he drew, and then drew twice more. Despite his lowered life points, he had no choice but to pay for Hell Greed. Situations where he had so few life points were the only times that he ever worried about it. "Hmmm...I wonder..." (DLP: 600)

A thought came to mind, of a card hidden within his deck. A card that hid a deadly side effect. _'No, using that card is pointless still, at least until I figure out exactly how to get past that side effect. Winning this Darkness Game is hardly worth that.'_

"Before I make any other move, I'll activate my continuous magic card, Expanding Shadows. This doubles the number of magic and trap cards I can have in my zones. Now that makes it ten total, since Expanding Shadows itself doesn't count towards my magic and trap zones." Since they were already in a Darkness Game, there was no change caused by his card.

"Since there's little else I can do, I'll set one card face down. End turn." With that one new card in place, his turn was ended. The Rare Hunters grew edgy, seeing that the duel would probably be coming to an end right here and now.

"You're right, there's absolutely nothing you can do! Trap card, reveal yourself and equip to Gilford the Lightning!" The trap card flipped up, showing the symbol for a continuous trap and an image of Gilford the Lightning, standing tall and proud despite numerous wounds.

"Gilford's Warrior Heart is a trap that equips to Gilford the Lightning when activated. While equipped, Gilford the Lightning is completely immune to trap cards. And that pretty much means I've just won. Gilford, bring me back Drake with the power of your Thunderbolt Cut!" A wave of electric energy slammed into Drake, but instead of keeling over he smirked and shivered as if in pleasure.

"Can you hear them? Can you hear the dead wailing in agony as they feel the pain of your blow? Those poor dead are taking the pain from me, isn't that nice of them?" Kirani frowned, realizing that she did indeed hear a mournful wail coming from somewhere.

"What's going on? What is this?" She glanced around, trying to find the source of the moans. Yet no matter where she looked, she could see nobody making the noises.

"Oh, it's just my trap card. Wail of the Dead converts all life point damage I would take this turn into life gain. So, thanks for the recharge." The lightning faded away, leaving him completely unharmed and back to nearly full health. (DLP: 3400)

Kirani grimaced, but then she realized that while he had restored his life points, he hadn't been able to use any of his other traps. _'And that means his other cards have no way of stopping my immune Gilford. He just got lucky this turn, and next turn I'll be able to recover the damage.' _

Sliding a card from her hand onto her duel disk, Kirani concluded her turn. Although Gilford was all alone on the battlefield, that wasn't a problem at the moment. "I'd say this duel is nearing the end, and when it's over, I'll get him back."

"End? This is hardly the end wench, it's not even the beginning of the end. I'd go all Churchill and say it was the end of the beginning, but I'm not lame like that. So instead I'll just start my turn." He drew once, and then twice more for his cards for the turn. (DLP: 3300)

He didn't even blink as he looked over the six cards he held in his hand. "I set three cards face down. End turn."

Kirani drew, knowing exactly what this meant. _'Just like I thought, he really can't stop the assault of Gilford with his traps, not while Gilford is immune! Cards that regularly destroy magic and trap cards, I'm sure he can handle, but cards that cancel out his traps or are immune...those cards are the key to defeating him!'_

With that knowledge in hand, she knew that she could win this duel in just a few blows. All she had to do was keep fighting. "That confidence that you're portraying, it's nothing but a lie! And I'll prove it by attacking you directly!"

Drake bit down on his tongue hard, causing blood to trickle down his throat in order to prevent himself from making a pained response as the lightning streamed into his body, disrupting his bodily functions for several seconds, and potentially frying synapses. _'The darkness makes it so powerful...but lucky for me the darkness also powers me. And I can sense even her strength being slowly sapped. She doesn't know it yet, but all that's keeping her going is the Heart of Love. And if she loses contact with it, she'll be finished.'_ (DLP: 500)

Although that was the case, he had no interest in winning the duel on a default like Yumi had. That was a weakling's way out, and he was in no way a weakling. "Take your turn. Just one more attack, that's all I need before I can shatter the darkness and restore the light. I'm coming for you Drake, just wait for me."

"It's pathetic to hear you say things to someone who can't hear you. Now, let's see what lady luck has in store for me today..." He drew his three cards for the turn, and his eyes danced with amusement at what he saw. Kirani saw this, and knew that right now, he wasn't bluffing. (DLP: 400)

"It's time to bring you down, and I'll start by triggering a trap that's perfect for you. No Love Lost, activate!" Kirani cringed at the name, just as she had when he used his first trap card. Why did some of his cards seem to directly jab at what this dark personality was doing to her?

"No Love Lost lets me select one monster on the field and remove it from play. I gain half that monster's attack points as life. And I select Gilford the Lightning." Energy slipped from the trap and towards Gilford, wrapping around him. But the warrior simply flexed his muscles, and the energy binds shattered.

"What was the point of that? You know quite well that Gilford the Lightning is currently immune to trap cards, and since he isn't removed you trap doesn't even give you life points. It's nothing but a complete waste of effort and a trap." Drake just smiled and held up one of his newly drawn cards.

"Useless? Not at all. Since a trap card's effect failed, I can now play Hatred and Damnation! This quick-play magic card destroys all monsters on your field and deals five hundred damage to your life points for each one!" Gilford bellowed briefly before shattering into a million pieces.

"Lightning Energy Charge effectively negates the damage dealt to me by your magic card. So there's no change for me." Despite the fact that her life points was safe, she didn't feel as confident as before, considering that her best chance at winning had just been blown away.

"Keh, whatever. Now, to continue my move I'll set one card face down. Finally I activate the continuous magic card known as Death Awaits. Meet the reaper bitch!" Kirani was about to ask what he meant, but the feel of cold steel against her throat silenced the question. Now she knew how some of the Rare Hunters had felt in the same situation.

Slowly she drew, grimacing as the reaper's scythe pressed up against her throat, drawing a thin line of blood. It wasn't much, but it stung, and it also meant she was losing life points. "It's not that much though..." (KLP: 1900)

Drake tapped a finger against his chin, smiling darkly as he did so. "Hmmm...I wonder who will die first at this rate. Will Death Awaits finish you first, or will I lose first because of Hell Greed? Looks like it's a race to the finish right now."

'_I can hardly attack him recklessly, that'll just end this duel quickly and in his favor. But I do have one method of stopping him, provided it actually works.' _Carefully she took the card she had drawn and slid it into her duel disk, noticing that her hand was shaking slightly. The darkness was getting to her.

"Time to rip away your defenses with my magic card, Heavy Storm!" Dangerous winds began to pick up, swirling the dark fog around their feet. All of the set cards and the face-up cards on Drake's field shook, just about to be blown away.

"Did you really think you could just destroy my cards and get away with it? Reveal counter trap, Dark Spirit of Memory! By discarding a card from my hand I can negate one effect that would destroy magic or trap cards on my field. Then you have to discard the top five cards of your deck!" The winds died down, and a frustrated Kirani dumped five cards into the grave.

Looking over the five cards she had to discard, she frowned in disappointment. _'Lord of the Storm...he would have been my perfect method to win this duel. He's my trump monster, but now he's in the grave, and I can't summon him unless I remove three Gilfords from the grave.'_

Looking at her remaining cards, she began to wonder exactly what she could do. Currently, there seemed to be only one choice, and that was because of the life point difference. _'Right now, attacking is pointless. So, I'm just going to have to sit it out and hope that he runs out of life points first.'_

"I set a monster on the field. Turn end." The horizontal card appeared, signaling the end of her turn. Now it was simply a matter of time.

Drake snapped up a card, and then instantly drew twice more, just as he did every turn. Of course it also diminished his already minuscule life points, but he didn't seem bothered. "I activate Shadow Control, which removes the limitation for zones for the rest of the duel. This means that we can play monsters or magic and trap cards in any zone, not limited by type." (DLP: 300)

That meant he could now have a total of twenty magic and trap cards on the field at one time, which didn't bode well for Kirani. "I set three cards face down. Now, it's time to get back to building that rampart I spoke of. Activate magic card, Rampart of the Dead!"

Kirani gasped in horror as ten bloated corpses, their flesh hanging from their putrid yellow bones, clambered out of the ground and advanced on Drake. "These zombies will now take the top ten cards of my deck to the grave at a cost of half of my life points." (DLP: 150)

Each of the zombies took one card from his deck, groaning as they held them up to face Drake. "Every one of the ten cards discarded that is a trap card is then set on my field, but cannot be activated for two whole turns, counting from the opponent's turns. And from what the zombies show me, all ten of the discarded cards were traps."

He snatched the cards back from the corpses and then placed them all onto his duel disk. In moments their physical representations were created, giving him a grand total of seventeen cards face down on the field. "A matter of time isn't it? Looks like time is on my side. Now...it's the end of my turn, but it's the end of you. Time's up!"

And the reaper's scythe pressed against her throat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Enjoying it so far? I hope so.

_Next Time: Kirani's pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The dark version of her one love now stands neigh untouchable behind a wall of traps. If Kirani is to ever bring back the man she loves, then she will have to do something that in the past several years she has never managed to do. Defeat Drake._

_See it all in, Desperate Gambit of Love!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: I know just how sickening it is. Cool huh?

G.O.T. Nick: Actually, this is a mini-arc. All of my stories are generally panned out as mini-arcs, some more mini than the others. The first story had four, the second had several. This will have quite a few.

Blue Eyes White Knight: Thanks.

WolfGeneral: The Gilfords appreciate your support, but they won't have an easy time of it. Plus, the whole attitude thing is because Dark Drake is all the negative aspects of Drake enhanced. Which happens to include his ego, which is pretty big while normal, and therefor tremendous in this form.

The White Mage: She is indeed.

_Original Cards_: WG is for WolfGeneral

Kirani: Gilford of Thunder, Berserker Gilford, To Part The Sky, Gilford the Swift, Polar Opposite, Lightning Energy Charge, Crash of Thunder, Gilford's Warrior Heart

Drake: Death Banshee, Love's Death, Crashing Down, Hell Greed, Death Cylinder, Darkness Infusion, Expanding Shadows, Wail of the Dead, No Love Lost, Hatred and Damnation, Death Awaits, Dark Spirit of Memory(WG), Shadow Control, Rampart of the Dead

_Anime/Manga Cards_

Kirani: Quick Attack


	7. Desperate Gambit of Love

Author's Note: And now for the conclusion.

_**Chapter Six: Desperate Gambit of Love**_

_Drake snapped up a card, and then instantly drew twice more, just as he did every turn. Of course it also diminished his already minuscule life points, but he didn't seem bothered. "I activate Shadow Control, which removes the limitation for zones for the rest of the duel. This means that we can play monsters or magic and trap cards in any zone, not limited by type." (DLP: 300)_

_That meant he could now have a total of twenty magic and trap cards on the field at one time, which didn't bode well for Kirani. "I set three cards face down. Now, it's time to get back to building that rampart I spoke of. Activate magic card, Rampart of the Dead!"_

_Kirani gasped in horror as ten bloated corpses, their flesh hanging from their putrid yellow bones, clambered out of the ground and advanced on Drake. "These zombies will now take the top ten cards of my deck to the grave at a cost of half of my life points." (DLP: 150)_

_Each of the zombies took one card from his deck, groaning as they held them up to face Drake. "Every one of the ten cards discarded that is a trap card is then set on my field, but cannot be activated for two whole turns, counting from the opponent's turns. And from what the zombies show me, all ten of the discarded cards were traps."_

_He snatched the cards back from the corpses and then placed them all onto his duel disk. In moments their physical representations were created, giving him a grand total of seventeen cards face down on the field. "A matter of time isn't it? Looks like time is on my side. Now...it's the end of my turn, but it's the end of you. Time's up!"_

_And the reaper's scythe pressed against her throat._

Blood pooled down the blade, and Kirani's mind was aflame with thoughts, flickering in and out, none with focus. The blood leaking from her throat was too much for her to handle, and her body began to fail her, weakness seeping into her limbs. It would all be over for her soon. _'So this is how it ends?'_ (KLP: 200)

'_No, not like this.'_ The fog that was spreading over her mind seemed to lift slightly at these words. Words that hardly seemed to her own mental voice in her head. The pain was pushed into the depths of her mind, and then all was clear again.

When her vision returned to normal she saw that Drake looked absolutely furious. The second thing she noticed was that though blood still stained the reaper's scythe, no more was flowing from her throat. Slowly she reached up to touch her neck, and discovered the wound had healed. "Amazing..."

Drake snarled, his left eye twitching with irritation. "What's amazing is your fucking dumb luck! Once again you used the Heart of Love without knowing how to do it, and you healed yourself. Bah, this dumb luck shit is pissing me off!"

Although this seemed to be the truth, something about the situation didn't sit right with Kirani. She remembered something about the voice she had heard, but her mind had been too bogged down by pain to really register it. "Dumb luck...I'd call it providence. Now, if you might recall, it's my turn!"

She held the drawn card up to her eye, and began to consider the situation. Ten of the seventeen face down cards on Drake's field couldn't be activated for another few turns. But seven traps was still a very deadly number, so there was no way she could launch an attack. _'And though in his next turn he'll drop to fifty life points, I'll lose in my next turn if Death Awaits is still in play...'_

Her eyes trailed over to his field, assessing the situation. Finally, she knew what her move would be. It was the only move she could make at this moment. "I set one card face down. That's the end of my turn."

The dark duelist immediately drew his three cards for the turn, not looking bothered in the slightest that his life points were almost completely depleted that turn. After all, why would he be worried when Kirani was about to lose in her next turn. "It's almost over wench, soon you'll be dead, and no amount of your magic can stop that." (DLP: 50)

"We'll see jerk, we'll see." Drake frowned, noticing the confidence in her voice. He knew her to be powerful and resourceful, and he wouldn't put it past her to have some method to halt his damage. And he had only one more open zone left on his field.

'_I don't know what she's planning, but I'll save that last open zone for later. I've learned my lesson before about filling up all my zones completely. If they get locked, then it would be virtually impossible for me to make any move.'_ There was no easy way out of this, so he had just one choice.

"For the moment, I end my turn. Now, let's see if you can stop death!" He grinned in anticipation, knowing that the moment Kirani drew the end would either hit, or falter. This could be the end for her.

Kirani drew, not even looking at the drawn card or the other two cards she held. The reaper's blade began to press against her neck, and then she moved her hand to her disk and pressed a button on it. "Reverse card open!"

The trap flipped up, and the reaper's scythe halted, lightning crackling off of it and arcing towards Drake and through Kirani as well. "You...you'd actually use that trap in this duel?"

"That's right. My trap card, Lightning Reflective Surface, divides the damage equally between us. That means each of us will take eight hundred and fifty life points." Both duelists tried to fight back the pain as the electricity surged through their bodies.

"You...think you can tie the duel and then everything will be fine? No...I won't allow that...deck trap activate!" Kirani's eyes widened as a card popped out of Drake's deck, and he held it above his head. The lightning flowed from him into it, and then it vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Negative Energy Decoy is a trap that activates from my deck whenever I would lose the duel from damage. All that damage to my life points is negated, and then Negative Energy Decoy is removed from the game. So if you intend to kill me, you'll have to kill me three more times!" He smirked, and then pointed out something else.

"Of course, there won't be anymore times for you, since now your half of the damage finishes you off. And I doubt you have a Negative Energy Decoy in your deck, considering this trap is part of my soul." He licked his lips, ready the moment the duel was over. He was itching to test out the newest punishment he had thought up.

"No...I didn't intend to tie the duel, I had intended to win. Open quick-play, Emergency Provisions! I'll sacrifice Lightning Energy Charge and Lightning Reflective Surface to gain two thousand life points!" The two cards she still had on the field faded away, granting her a boost in life points, just as she was drained further. (KLP: 1350)

Drake seemed a bit miffed, but still not bothered, even though he had fifty life points left. "You can't save yourself from Hell Greed with Negative Energy Decoy, since that isn't damage, that's a life point payment. So next turn, you lose the duel."

"Oh that's highly doubtful. Especially since I now activate Dark Mirror, which lets me copy one card you've played this turn. I think I'll copy Emergency Provisions and sacrifice my Hell Greed." The continuous magic card vanished, and the duel was back on. (DLP: 1050)

Kirani sighed, realizing that she should have known that he wouldn't let himself die so easily. Most likely he had another way of saving himself from the payment, or else he wouldn't have been so cocky. Now all she had on the field was a set monster. "I set one card face down, and end my turn."

"Draw." He added the card to his other three cards, then passed a glance over her field. He still had sixteen face down cards, which was more than enough to finish her off next turn using Death Awaits.

"Your time is just about up girl. Now, I set one card face down and end my turn." Now once again he had seventeen face down cards, and that was easily going to be enough to end this. This was her final chance.

"So much confidence...too much. You placed Death Awaits over another of your trap cards, which means it's easy prey for my own trap card, Dust Tornado!" Drake frowned as a vortex of sand and dirty spun across the field towards his magic card.

One of his face down cards could protect his traps, but his Death Awaits was a magic card, and wasn't protected. "Fine, destroy Death Awaits. I've still got seventeen face down cards, and those can easily finish you off!"

"Who said I was targeting Death Awaits? No, I'm targeting the card that makes it possible for it to remain in play where it is. Expanding Shadows!" Drake's eyes went wide as one of his key cards was blown away by the deadly dust devil.

Kirani grinned, knowing what would happen next. "Now, since Expanding Shadows has just been destroyed, all magic and trap cards that are outside of their appropriate zones will be instantly demolished!"

"Not if I can help it! Memories of the Damned, reveal yourself my counter trap! I can activate this card only when traps on my field would be destroyed. It places three counters on them, protecting them from destruction that many times." Three spheres of dark energy appeared above the traps, and one instantly shattered to keep them in play.

"Each of your turns you'll lose another counter though, so that won't last you long. But for three such uses, surely there has to be a cost." Drake nodded and ejected his deck from the slot, fanning through it.

"Of course there is. As its cost I have to select three magic cards from my deck and send them to the cemetery. Guess which three I'm choosing?" He chuckled as he held up his three Death Meteor cards, and then deposited them into his graveyard. Now all he had to do was draw Armageddon Meteor and he would pretty much have a guaranteed victory.

Kirani sighed and drew, at least satisfied that Death Awaits had been destroyed, thus saving her from defeat this turn. It was odd to think that those moves had occurred in Drake's end phase, before she even started her turn. "Now...I know how to speed this process up. I flip summon Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650)."

The muscular blue armored creature revealed itself, standing up from a crouching position and holding its trident in preparation for throwing it. Drake knew what would happen next. "Now I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!"

Kirani's previous monster turned to energy, floating up into the air as an offering for one of the mightiest warriors in the game. Lightning crackled along the sky, signaling the coming of her monster. "Pity, I have no cards that would force you to attack. I'm also sure the reason you're summoning him is because you have Eye of the Storm in your hand."

Although Kirani made no response to this comment, Drake knew it to be true. From his own experience, he knew that Eye of the Storm was a magic card that could only be played if Gilford the Lightning was on the field. At a cost of that Gilford's attack for the turn, all of the opponent's magic and trap cards would be destroyed. "I can't have that now can I? So I activate Broken Heart!"

The lightning in the sky immediately faded away, and the Gilford that Kirani had been placing on her deck popped back up, forcing her to catch it. "Broken Heart negates the summon and removes that monster from the game. So farewell Gilford."

Although her plan had been foiled, Kirani wasn't going to despair yet. After all, there was no point in despairing just because a plan had failed. "I set one card face down, and end my turn."

Drake drew, barely noticing as another counter faded away. Now he had just fifteen face down cards, but five open zones. He had four cards in his hand, and now one of them was worth actually playing. "On the off chance that you were thinking of trying that trick again, I've got a card for you."

He slid open the side panel of his duel disk, and placed the card into it. "I play my field magic card, Ring of Fire and Death! As long as this field card is in play each of us can activate trap cards from our hands at a cost of five hundred life points!"

Kirani frowned as a circle of fire leapt up around them, and on the outside of that there was a line of fallen corpses. "I get the feeling that's not all it does."

"Good guess. Each of us has to attack the opponent once per turn with a monster. That is of course provided we actually have a monster on the field. So, sit back and let me win, or try and win and fail. What will it be?" The fire seemed to roar higher when he said these words.

"Is that all?" Drake shook his head, not feeling that he was finished yet.

"I think I'll play Magical Well, and place a magic card from my deck into my hand. Of course I can't set or activate it this turn, but next turn will do just as well." He placed the card into his hand, and then waved Kirani on, showing her that he was done.

Grimacing, Kirani knew that there were several choices he could have made. Either he was going for another Expanding Shadows so he could protect his trap cards, or he had just grabbed the card that she was dreading. Armageddon Meteor. _'Knowing him, he probably took Armageddon Meteor so he can finish me off. I'll just have to be prepared.'_

"I set one magic or trap card face down on the field. Though I know I can't beat you in the magic and trap war, I have every intention of living on until I find a method to actually defeating you." Now she had just two face down cards to combat his fifteen.

Once more he drew, putting his hand size back up at four cards. But it was the card he had taken through the use of Magical Well that interested him the most. "Prepare to burn you little bitch. I activate my magic card, Armageddon Meteor!"

The skies seemed to rip apart as the massive meteor gathered its power together for one single strike. "I'm not going to die just yet! Activate trap, Spark Seal! This halts the activation of one card for three turns!"

There was no motion in the sky as there was before, signaling that the meteor was frozen just beyond the clouds, keeping it from view. It wouldn't be revealed until three turns later. "Damn you...I don't want to wait three fucking turns! Bah, I set one card face down."

Frustrated that his attempt to kill her had been delayed, he was ready to end his turn. But there was on more thing Kirani had to mention. "The second effect of Spark Seal lets me draw one extra card immediately, so I'll do that now."

She drew two cards, one from the effect and one for the start of her turn. Looking them over, she knew just what to do. "I play Enter the Storm, which at a cost of one thousand life points lets me special summon Gilford the Lightning, and I'll bring back the one that was placed out of play!" (KLP: 350)

The lightning restarted and in mere seconds her warrior stood on the field, his armor shining brightly. "I see...you brought out your monster but managed to get around the effect of Ring of Fire and Death. Because Enter the Storm prevents your monster from attacking, you're safe. At least until I draw a card that can force an attack."

Kirani nodded, but that wasn't all she was going to do. "I'm not just done there. You predicted this move correctly before, so now I'll use it. Eye of the Storm, do your stuff!"

Winds swirled over his field, but the final counter was sacrificed to protect his cards. "You see, Ring of Fire and Death remains, so next turn your beastly Gilford will have to attack, and of course he'll walk right into a trap."

"Your field card may have been protected then...but it isn't now. So it's time to play my own field card, Heart of the Storm!" A massive storm cloud gathered over head, and the energy of the lightning in it surged through Gilford, boosting his attack power by four hundred.

Not only that, but the twin circles of flame and corpses vanished, replaced by this new field. Drake snarled in irritation, knowing that there was little he could do about it. And worse yet, it would still be two more of Kirani's turns before his Armageddon Meteor activated. "Fine, but that makes this the perfect time to activate this trap card, Devil Life Absorption!"

Energy flooded out of Kirani's disk in black waves, cascading down upon Drake, imbuing him with further energies. "Now this trap grants me life points equal to the amount you've lost in this duel." (DLP: 7200)

"Fine, take your life points. But though my turn is over now, this duel isn't." Drake merely shrugged, grabbing up another card off his deck.

With no counter to protect his traps, instantly ten of them shattered into nothingness. Although he was annoyed by the damage, it wasn't a complete and total loss. "You destroyed Shatter Point, so I'll use it to destroy your remaining face down card."

"Fine with me, I'll just activate it in response. Gilford's Parting Gift! I can send a Gilford to the cemetery to gain its attack or defense as life points!" Gilford the Lightning vanished, and Kirani's life points took a turn for the better. (KLP: 3550)

"That's still not enough to save you from Armageddon Meteor once it activates. Now, I think it's still my turn." Holding up the cards he had in his hand, he knew he had to make a decision on what to do.

Despite his current lack of options, he didn't seem that worried. Two more turns from now his Armageddon Meteor would have to activate, and then it would deal 5000 damage to her life points. Potentially that should end the duel. "End turn."

Kirani drew, and she looked at it, slightly surprised. Drake mentally filed away the expression for later, knowing that it meant something. _'Let's just see what she has planned.'_

"I pass my turn." Drake didn't let the surprise he felt show. He had honestly been expecting something more impressive than a completely empty field. Although that was the case, there was very little he could do at the moment with the handful of cards he had.

"Since my whole field is full, I guess I have little to do. But in my next turn, Armageddon Meteor will activate and burn away all of your life points. So really, there's little that you can do. But we'll just wait and see I guess. End!" It was obviously just bluster, but that didn't matter. Unless she had some plan, she was going to lose in his next turn.

She drew her card, and then flipped it over, revealing a magic card. "All I needed was just one card, but this will help. Pot of Greed activates!" She snapped two more cards up and added them to the other card she held.

"What do you think you can do with those cards?" There was a hint of curiosity in his voice. He still had that expression of hers filed away, and he had the feeling the reason behind it was about to be revealed.

"I play Monster Reincarnation, discarding Wise One Gilford in order to pick up a monster from my grave." She placed the chosen card into the graveyard, and then grabbed the new card that her cemetery slot spat back up at her.

Drake mentally reviewed the monsters that had gone to her cemetery so far in the duel, and there were quite a few. _'What could it be? Gilford of Thunder for more cards? Berserker Gilford for raw power? Or perhaps something that I don't know about.'_

"You're about to meet my trump monster, and I know that you know what it is. I call forth the spirits of Gilford the Lightning, Gilford of Thunder, and Berserker Gilford, removing from the game as offerings to one of the mightiest of them all!" Lightning crashed down around her, lighting up even the darkness as her monster's descent was readied.

"The single-strike killer...Gilford, Lord of the Storm(2800/1400)!" Drake's words rang true as a towering figure landed on the field in a crouch, one knee on the ground and the other up to his chest, his right arm resting on it casually. He was Gilford the Lightning, if Gilford the Lightning had swapped out his regular armor for gold armor and a fancier sword.

"You're right, my level ten monster, the card that can win a duel in a single attack. Lord of the Storm, whose special ability upon being summoned destroys all cards on the field and in both player's hands! Storm of Destruction!" Lord of the Storm rose to his feet, and unsheathed his sword.

Instantly lightning began to rain down over the field, bolt after bolt, turning from tens to hundreds in mere seconds. Had the lightning been real they likely would have been blinded or killed by the light and the charge infused in those hundreds of bolts. Then, it was done.

The field now stood completely barren, nothing to stop Lord of the Storm from rampaging. No wall of traps, nothing at all to halt it. But besides itself, Kirani's field was also barren. "You've stripped yourself of hand and field for twenty-eight hundred damage? But in my next turn you take five thousand damage, and you have no cards to stop that."

"Not true. When my hand went to the cemetery, I discarded Lightning Fail Safe, which increases my life points by two thousand if it goes to the grave because of an effect. So, I'll survive Armageddon Meteor." Light flickered around her as she gained much needed life points. (KLP: 5550)

"Gilford, attack Drake directly with Storm Blade Cut!" Lightning escalated around the blade as the warrior swung it in a sweeping arc. Huge streams of energy came off of it as the power exploded out of it, colliding with Drake. A dark aura emerged around him, blocking him from physical harm. (DLP: 4400)

"You're good...but your turn is over. Now, it's my turn to see what I can do!" He picked up the top card of his deck, and then the meteor that was hanging overhead started moving again. It streaked straight towards Kirani, and exploded with force great enough to easily shatter a building.

As the smoke cleared, Kirani could clearly be seen within. She was on her hands and knees, breathing heavily, sweat beading on her brow. The red glow that surrounded her had diminished, and it was obvious she had used a lot of power defending herself from the strike. "But I'm still here...still fighting on." (KLP: 550)

"Still here...yeah you are, but not for long! I play Treasure of Slashing Life!" Kirani cursed his luck, even as he drew a brand new hand of five cards. It hardly mattered that he'd have to discard his whole hand in five turns. The duel wasn't likely to last that long.

"Before I continue, I'll activate The Haunting Cycle. This continuous magic card first takes all magic and trap cards in my cemetery and out of play piles and shuffles them back into my deck." He did so, restoring his deck to full size, with the only missing cards being the four he held and his magic card.

"Step number two is to activate End of Existence, which removes one monster on your field from the game." There was a clap, like thunder without a storm, and then Lord of the Storm was gone, removed from play.

"Now for step number three. Body Count activates, letting me draw one card for every monster of yours I've destroyed or removed from the game. That's six cards, so let me replenish my hand." With the bonus cards he gained, he now held nine cards.

Kirani couldn't help but feel worried, since she had no cards whatsoever against the nine he held. Were he an offensive duelist, she'd probably be finished in this turn. "Keep playing...I don't want to have to wait all day."

Drake smirked, amused by her comment. "Impatient to do eh? Fine, I won't keep you waiting! I play Expanding Shadows, and follow that up with seven cards face down."

His field filled up almost completely, and now he had a massive barrier and one card left in his hand. "Now, Twilight Renewal lets me draw five cards since it's the only one in my hand."

Five more cards entered his hand, and he seemed oddly amused by what he saw. "By discarding Death Awaits from my hand I can activate the continuous magic card Death Approaches, which will deal you 300 damage per set card during each standby phase."

Kirani felt a foreboding presence fill the dueling field, and knew that it was true. Death was coming for her. "Finally to end my turn I set three cards from my hand face down, and end my turn."

Her knees felt weak as her hand hovered over the top card of her deck. She had tried everything she could think of, even Lord of the Storm had failed. She had burned away his field, and he had recovered almost immediately, not giving her any chance at all. _'And with those three Negative Energy Decoys in his deck I'd have to deal 4400 damage four times this next turn to stop him before I lose. And no single card can do that...no single card...so I lose don't I?'_

She should have known really. It had been a desperate move on her part, trying to duel him like this to bring back her lover. Never before had she beaten Drake, and the closest she had ever come in all the years she knew him was when he was just one card away from decking out and top decking, but he won anyways. _'I'm just not quite at his level...there's no way I can beat Drake, no matter which one it is.'_

'_Maybe not on your own, but you aren't alone. You never are, don't you remember that?'_ A soft touch on her cheek made her tilt her head up, and she found herself staring at a spectral version of Drake smiling down at her. Yet just meters away stood the scowling dark Drake.

"You're the part of Drake that's connected to my soul...you haven't appeared to me since I dueled Taichi last. I...I thought you were gone." He shook his head, still smiling, and cupped her chin with his big hand.

'_Kirani, I'm always part of you. No amount of magic can change that, because the magic that connects us is stronger than the darkness. It's the light of our souls...and that bond can't be broken by anything, not even the gods. So...together, let's win.'_ A genuine smile spread across her beautiful features, seeming to illuminate the darkness.

With ghostly hands to guide her, she was able to stand back up on her feet, the Heart of Love blazing once again. She felt a pulse from within her, and she knew, somehow she knew what would come of this duel. She knew what had to happen once it was over, but she didn't know if she could. _'How can I? After all of this, how could I?'_

The partial soul of Daisuke Ihachi stood behind her, his hand over hers, guiding it to the top of her deck. _'Kirani, I understand. And if I do, then sooner or later he'll understand as well. You have to do it, you know that. Now, let's show him the strength of our joined souls!'_

She nodded and together they engaged more and more power, shocking dark Drake. It was at this moment that he finally understood what had been happening all along. _'This whole time she's been leeching off of me...this whole time I couldn't hurt her because the soul within this body...it's connected to her. Without my knowledge, she and my light half were and are...soul mates.'_

"Although I've never managed it before, it's something I'll do right now! I'm going to defeat you, in this final turn! Activate Heart of Love special ability, Desperate Gambit of Love!" The red glow surged from all around her, flowing into her duel disk, empowering it.

"Desperate Gambit of Love resets the duel for me, returning all cards of mine back to my deck and resetting my life points at the starting amount. Then I'm allowed to draw one card, and can activate it without interference if possible. If I can't play it, my turn ends immediately. So, it's time for me to draw!" Two hands, one physical and the other spiritual, drew the needed card. Drake took a step back as he recognized the power he was sensing. (KLP: 4000)

"Drake...this is our last turn, you know that, and I know that. And burning in my heart is something given to me by the presence of the man I love. Absolute Determination!" She held the card up, and its effect activated, allowing her to draw her entire deck.

'_Our souls are so joined together that she was able to draw a card that should exist only in my light half's soul deck! And this card...it's responsible for the single defeat that this deck took!'_ He looked to his face down cards for reassurance, but somehow he didn't feel that confident anymore.

"Activate magic card, Heavy Storm!" The winds picked up, and Drake did what he had to. He activated his counter trap. The winds faded away as three black spheres appeared, floating above his field.

"Memories of the Damned, at a cost of my three Death Meteors once again, lets me not only negate the destruction of my traps this once, but also places three counters that will protect them. So there's nothing you can do about it!" Yet despite his words, he didn't feel his confidence flowing freely. She still had a hand the size of her deck.

"Giant Trunade!" Before the winds could even get underway, the energies were absorbed by the counter he removed to protect his traps from leaving the field. Two more remained.

"Go, Enter the Storm!" Gilford descended from the sky above and unsheathed his sword, ready for action. Drake knew the reason for summoning that card, and knew what was going to come next. (KLP: 3000)

"I won't allow it! Broken Heart negates the summoning!" Kirani barely seemed to be slowed down as Gilford the Lightning vanished into the mists, leaving no trace whatsoever.

"I won't let you break my stride, because this is the last turn! Monster Returned brings back Gilford the Lightning, and then I activate Eye of the Storm to destroy all your magic and trap cards!" A bolt of lightning shot out from the mist, and another counter shattered. Gilford walked onto the field, calm and confident.

"Next up, Roar of Thunder! I sacrifice Gilford the Lightning to special summon Gilford, Deity of Lightning and Thunder(3600/2400)!" The glowing, god-like version of her key monster replaced the regular one, his shining sword held high.

"His effect can now let me destroy all magic and trap cards on your field and in your hand! Split them apart!" A blue bolt of lightning streaked down from the heavens, and blasted away the final counter. Now his trap cards were vulnerable once again, and her stride had yet to break.

"Now, Magic Shard Excavation brings back a card at a cost of two from my hand. Then I play that card, Heavy Storm!" Drake threw up his hands to shield them from dust particles as all nine of his remaining set cards were blown completely apart.

"It's not enough...still not enough!" Kirani shook her head and threw down a card from her hand onto the field. A behemoth of a warrior appeared, revealing himself as none other than Berserker Gilford(3000/0), the most powerful level four in the game.

"Next I equip Deity of Lightning and Thunder with Lightning Blade, raising his attack by eight hundred, bringing him dead even with your life points! Next, Monster Reborn activates to return Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to the field!" Once again her key monster returned.

"Then I special summon Gilford the Swift(1400/500) to the field!" The thin, rapier wielding Gilford zipped out into play, his sword held at the ready. Now the stage was set.

"Deity of Lightning and Thunder, attack him directly with God Lightning Stroke!" One tremendous stream of electricity pounded into Drake, burning away forty-four hundred of his life points. Or at least it would have, if it weren't for the beacon that appeared above him, drawing in the energy.

"Negative Energy Decoy protects me, and then removes itself from the game. And I still have two more of them left in my deck!" Kirani nodded, understanding it perfectly. But she wasn't about to let her stride be broken.

"Berserker Gilford, attack him directly!" The hulking warrior slammed the butt of his sword into Drake's stomach, doubling him over. The damage wasn't enough to finish him off, so Negative Energy Decoy's effect didn't activate. (DLP: 1400)

"Gilford the Swift, direct attack!" A single slash of its rapier would normally have been enough to finish Drake off, but once again another Negative Energy Decoy was activated, protecting him from losing the duel.

"Gilford the Lightning, Thunder Bolt Cut!" Another blast of lightning caught him in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards with smoke curling up off of his body. Yet again a Negative Energy Decoy activated, and he remained safe.

"I'm still alive...three tries...three final attempts...and now you've failed. All I have to do is last until my end phase, and Absolute Determination's effect will make you lose the duel. I'm not the one who loses, it's you!" His lips started to part wide for what was bound to be an evil laugh, but they stopped short when he remember a card that Kirani had in her deck and was now holding up.

"Lightning Strikes Twice lets each Gilford the Lightning in play have two battle phases this turn...so now...it truly is over. Here's a message from the real Drake and myself to you. Die! Supreme Thunderbolt Cut!" Lightning coursed through Drake's body as the steel of Gilford's blade conducted it through him. And there was no way to stop it. (DLP: 0)

He fell to his knees, breathing heavily, staring at her in shock, unable to believe that he had actually lost. "I lost...so that means..."

His head tilted backwards as he screamed to the heavens, pulses of energy flooding through his body. One pulse, then a second, and finally a third, and at long last it seemed done. Slowly, Kirani approached him. "Drake...is that...the real you?"

Violet eyes looked up at her, violet eyes filled with horror, fear, and remorse. Those violet eyes could belong to not a single soul other than the man she had fallen in love with. "Kirani...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen."

She dropped to his side and embraced him immediately, her touch telling him that everything was alright, that she didn't blame him. Her touch, her warmth, and her eyes conveyed more than words would have. He simply knew her like he knew himself, and that was why he knew it wasn't over. "Kirani...you're on the verge of tears...what's wrong?"

Kirani backed away and stood up, looking down at him, blinking back tears. "This last fight...it's told me something I needed to hear, and so has the Heart of Love. I...as hard as this is to do...I'm leaving Drake."

His stare was blank, as if he didn't understand. Or maybe he couldn't bring himself to understand. "I...but why?"

"I learned just minutes ago that this world isn't safe for...certain people. And I know that you're always going to be right in the thick of it. So the safest thing for...certain people, is if I leave. I'm sorry, but I have to go...I don't want to, but I have to. I can only hope that you'll understand, and that you won't hate me. Just please remember that I will always love you...I just can't be with you right now."

And then, in what was perhaps the most mind numbing event of the day, Kirani uttered a single word that shattered everything for him. "Goodbye."

Then she was gone.

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Author's Notes: And now, for plotage.

_Next Time: With one shocking declaration Kirani has changed Drake's life. But life must move on, and Dalin's call has gone out to those who can aid him. They will gather at the appointed spot to hear the truth that awaits them. When the clock strikes midnight, it will begin._

_See it all in,_ _The Midnight Meeting Pt. 1_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: I'm surprised you caught that. And yes, parts of this duel were inspired by my duel with Nick. And your theory...it was wrong.

G.O.T. Nick: Two turns, but yeah, whatever.

The White Mage: Because she's a good guy...and because if she did the main protagonist of the series would be evil for the rest of the series, that's why.

_Original Cards_

Note: Actually, screw it. It takes WAY too much time to do this. If you don't recognize a card, I probably made it up, but you've figured that out by now you sly dogs. Good for you.


	8. The Midnight Meeting, Pt 1

Author's Note: I generally don't name chapters by part, but I found this necessary. Keep in mind; about half of this chapter is purely exposition. And about half of the next one will be as well.

**Chapter Seven: The Midnight Meeting, Pt. 1**

Big. That was the first word that popped into Ryu's mind as he stepped out of his car and looked over at Dalin's home. Ryu had never been a very big money earner, never wealthy, so he had lived in apartments his whole life. Which made stepping up to this house all that more impressive, especially considering that homes like this were getting rare in Japan.

It was just two stories, but for a person used to apartments, it seemed massive for a single person to live in. Property prices were also exorbitant in Japan, so that didn't help. Of course, Dalin was wealthy enough to afford it, being one of the most successful gamers in the world, if not _the_ most successful gamer in the world.

After taking in the house in a few glances, he took the chance to take a glance at his watch, which currently read 11:53. He was early, and knowing Dalin the meeting wouldn't start until exactly midnight. So now was the time to go in and wait.

A few moments before he was going to open the door, it swung out on its own, revealing a massive figure in the doorway. Had he not previously known Dalin, he might have freaked out to discover the six and a half foot man of muscle standing right there. "Come in, we're just waiting on two more."

He stepped inside the house and Dalin closed the door behind him. As soon as he got a good look at the interior of Dalin's home, he felt a little bit surprised. Covering nearly every space available were filing cabinets.

They lined the hallway that led into a living room, which included a television, a couch, and a coffee table. But pushed up against the walls all around the room were even more filing cabinets. Ryu was almost afraid to check the kitchen, or worse, the bathrooms.

After his initial surprise faded, he was able to get a good look at the others in the room. The three people sitting on the couch were Takuya Shinomori, Hikari Ihachi, and Kai Kaethen. Autumn sat in an armchair off to the side, giving Ryu the barest of nods as he walked up.

Had time not passed, this might have bothered him, but he had gotten over their break up years ago, and had moved on. She was always curt with him though, and there was always a slight sting at that. "Hey. Anybody else curious about the cabinets?"

This brought a smile to the others, even Autumn. Of course Dalin didn't smile, but that was just how he was. Had he not seen Kai two years previous, he would have been surprised at the man's somewhat lightened demeanor. He was still a very serious person, but he no longer shut people out as completely as he used to. "That will be answered in due time, once our final guests arrive."

Ryu accepted Dalin's word, knowing that in this house he was in charge, and in general he seemed to be the leader. But the way Dalin said it gave Ryu an impression of some evil host waiting for his guards to bring in some captives that had been trying to sneak in for a rescue. _'You watch way too many movies Ryu.'_

A giggle ripped his attention away from pointless lines of thought involving himself, a camera, and a world wide audience. It was at this point that he noticed that the object in Hikari's lap that he previously thought was a blanket was in fact…a baby. "Awake at last huh? Hungry?"

Ryu stared blankly at her as she lifted the bundle up, making silly faces at it. Yes, it was in fact a baby, one that couldn't have been even a year old. The baby was clearly a he, and had little curls of black hair at the top of his head. "I didn't know you had a kid."

Hikari smiled brightly, still cooing at her baby. "I do, he's eight months old. This is my little baby Masue, my pride and joy. He's even interested in Duel Monsters already, he grabbed a pack off a rack while we were at a card shop just a few weeks ago. Maybe some day he'll even be a world class duelist."

Again Ryu was surprised, this time by Kai's actions. The dark haired man leaned back in his seat, folded his arms behind his head, and smirked in a very knowing manner. It was simply seeing Kai smirking that threw Ryu, as it was an expression he was sure he had never seen cross the younger man's face. "Hikari, I can pretty much guarantee it. Some day, he'll be at least as strong a duelist as I am."

"Trying to make her depressed or something?" There was a flash of anger that crossed Kai's face, but it was gone in an instant. All focus in the room then turned to the man that had just walked in behind Dalin.

Wearing a pitch black trench coat that hung nearly to the floor, with his russet-brown hair done back into a dragon tail, was none other than Drake Ihachi. Arms folded across his chest he looked down at Kai, looking very amused. Ryu had to hold back a laugh. _'Man, if ever a duelist went out and said "You suck" that was it in a subtle way.'_

Kai stood up from his seat, staring across the room at Drake, their eyes meeting. Even for those who knew of the rivalry between them, its origins, and the various times they had competed, this seemed rather odd. There was a lot more tension than normal. "If you want to say something about me Drake, say it directly. Don't be a coward and try to use veiled words."

"Why? Because you don't have the brains to understand them?" Sparks flashed between their eyes, and Ryu wondered if Dalin had any fluorescent lighting installed in his house. He had heard that was a problem with lights like that.

Nobody else moved, because somehow they sensed that if they said anything it would make the situation worse. As tense as these two were right now, it seemed like if anything even touched the now tangible tension, they would cause an explosion. Or maybe a fist fight, or a duel, or something violent.

The pause was very brief, because Kai's return comment was almost instantaneous. "So, where's Kirani? Didn't want to be seen with you or something?"

The corner's of Drake's mouth curled up into what at first looked like a smile, but on closer inspection was most certainly a sneer. "Oh she's around. She wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home. What about you Kai, have you managed to get laid yet, or are you still a panty-waist loser?"

Kai's left arm lifted up, his DD3 snapping into position in seconds. "Perhaps you'd care to back up your words about my abilities in areas of life with a duel. Or maybe you've gotten weaker recently?" (KLP: 4000)

Drake's sneer widened and his own left arm rose, with his DD2 immediately in position. "You should have learned by now that you're too pathetic to actually manage anything. Hell, if we duel, you won't even touch my life points. And when I grind you into the dirt, I'll make sure you stay there." (DLP: 4000)

"That's enough!" Both men shot glances over at Dalin, who stood with his arms folded, watching them both with those cold, sharp green eyes of his. Slowly the two lowered their arms, deactivating their duel disks.

"We're here to discuss something very important, and your bickering is merely a waste of time. Now, the clock strikes twelve in approximately five seconds." True to his word, a chime went off about five seconds later, indicating that it was indeed midnight. Now it was time for the midnight meeting to begin.

There was a brief respite before the beginning of the meeting as each of those present stood and gathered around Dalin, who was preparing to speak. Once they were settled into place, he began. "Two days ago I had a vision. Its meaning and importance are not fully clear, however with the aid of Isis Ishtar, who was unable to come from Egypt in time, I know that the event happened."

For the next several minutes he described the dream he had. In it, there were two forces that fought, one a gigantic army, and the other a much smaller force led by several people who were nearly invincible. At the end he described what he saw as it could only be described. "I had an image of Death, not as an incarnation or anything similar, but as if it was the absolute nature of Death itself. Not a true image, more of a feeling."

"And exactly what does this mean?" They all glanced over at Takuya, to see him looking very curious about this. He had of course asked the question that they wanted to ask themselves.

"That is an uncertainty, however I do know one thing. The world is treading towards something darker than previous. Something…wrong. Allow me to explain." He reached down to the coffee table and grabbed up a piece of picture. He held it up to them, showing that it was a picture of a yin-yang symbol.

"Now, yin-yang represents how the world normally is in terms of "good" and "evil". At most times these portions are essentially evil. However, this is what the world looks like right now." He grabbed a pen and started scribbling on the piece of paper, working away at it. Finally he stood back up and showed the altered picture to them.

Instead of two even halves separated by a sinuous line, this was different. The black side had invaded the light side, and at least a quarter of the white side was now gone, replaced by black. "Darkness is spreading, the night is coming. I can feel it growing, even at this very moment."

Hikari frowned and leaned in, looking at the altered image. "What does this mean? And what do you mean you can feel it growing?"

Dalin pulled back the paper, and then seemed to steel himself for something. "It's growing, quite literally. The amount of darkness that replaces the light is steadily increasing. I estimate that at the current rate this will be the world in five months."

Again he took the picture and worked on it. Then he lifted the changed version, and what they saw made almost too much sense to them. It was a single circle of one solid color. Black. "At the current pace, the darkness will consume the light completely in approximately half a year's time. The world will enter eternal night."

Ryu scratched the back of his head, staring at the image intently, his eyes completely focused. Finally he got up the nerve to ask. "Okay, so why is that a bad thing? Sure people with myctophobia will have a bad time of it, but eternal night wouldn't be that big a deal. Vegas would be fine at the very least."

A series of incredulous looks shot his way, and Drake snorted. Kai just rolled his eyes at the older man, barely holding back amused laughter. "You have no idea what a metaphor is do you?"

Ryu shrugged, not wanting to admit that he could never quite get the hang of metaphor's and similes. What was the difference anyways? "Okay, so if it's a metaphor, what does it really mean? What are we saying is going to happen in five months?"

"The Apocalypse." This was obviously not what they had been expecting. But what Dalin hadn't been expecting was the various shrugs and noncommittal looks he got in response.

Takuya shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a foot against the ground, scoffing at this announcement. "Okay, well we stopped the dark spirit, a fragment of a god from causing the Apocalypse. We stopped Eikyuu, an actual god, from causing the equivalent of one. So what's to keep us from stopping this one?"

To their surprise, it wasn't Dalin who spoke in response, but rather Drake. With a dark expression on his face he gave them an answer. "Because this time, it's really Armageddon isn't it? The absolute power of darkness that's growing…it'll sweep away the light and consume the world completely in an eternal night. The Dark Spirit said it was inevitable, that it was merely the nature of the universe to come to an end. And now…this isn't a forced ending, but rather the ending that has been coming for a long time."

Hikari stepped in front of him, clutching her child to her chest and looking both angry and frightened. "How can you say that? What you're saying is that the end of the universe is coming and we can't stop it, no matter what, just because that's the natural order of things? Well I for one refuse to accept that the universe has to end!"

"Even if you refuse to accept it, the truth is the truth. The end is coming for us, and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Perhaps we should just relax and enjoy our remaining time in this life before it's swept away." Hikari took a step back, seeing the intense look in his eyes. There was something…different about him.

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. I too feel that this darkness is natural, as if this is the desired order of things that the universe ceases. However…there is something odd. I have felt them as I have traveled, hot spots of negative energy." He reached his hand out, sweeping it through one spot in the middle of nothing.

The others looked at him in confusion, but he gestured for them to do the same. One by one they passed their hands through this spot, and each of them came to the same conclusion. "It's like…a patch of polluted water coming up from a well of darkness."

Dalin nodded, appreciating that they had seen what he had. "This is not the first patch of darkness I have felt, and I doubt it will be the last. Yet were this coming Apocalypse completely natural, I would be unable to do this."

Once more he placed his hand into that area, but this time his hand took on a silvery glow. After a few seconds, he pulled his hand backwards. "Feel the area now, and you will see what I have seen."

Following suit the rest of the group did as they had done less than a minute earlier. But each of them had a completely different reaction this time. Kai stared down at his hand in complete surprise, not quite understanding how it was possible. "The darkness is…gone? You removed it."

Drake tapped a finger against his chin, and then his eyes widened in understanding. "The darkness is welling up from somewhere else…this coming Apocalypse is being brought from another place to this one…and pure magic can remove these patches, purify them."

Ryu, finally catching up with the rest of them, managed to get a word in edgewise. "So what you're saying is that if we go around the world and find these patches of darkness, we can stop the end of the universe or something like that?"

Dalin shook his head, and Ryu sighed in disappointment. He was sure he had been on to something there. "Unfortunately, all that would do is delay the coming darkness. No, what we must discover is the source of this corruption and put a stop to it. And I believe I know who we must locate to learn the truth."

There was a pause as Dalin tilted his head to the side, almost as if he were listening to something that the others couldn't see. Or at least so they thought, because Drake shortly after turned to listen in. "Somehow they know, and they're coming to stop us."

Purple fog began to roll into the room, coming in from the windows, and under cracks in doors. They were all experienced enough to recognize exactly what this meant, so that there was no need to comment on it. "We'll continue this discussion later. For now, every be ready to fight."

They were all prepared, giving nods of acknowledgment, just moments before the darkness covered them. The Darkness Games were just getting started.

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Ryu frowned, looking around at the surrounding darkness. He had been in his share of Darkness Games, the last one just a few years previous. This, while similar, didn't feel the same. It didn't feel as strong. "Come one out so we can get this over with."

"You're an impatient guy, but I don't mind that. I was told that I should pick out Ryu Shigeru and kick his ass in a duel, and make sure he can't do anything afterwards. So, with the power of my deck, the power of Blood, and the power of the Darkness Game, I'll crush you!" The sound of a duel disk being activated brought Ryu's attention to his left, where a man was walking out of the darkness.

Clad in street clothes, this consisted of jeans with a rip in one knee and a plain black t-shirt, was a man no older than nineteen. His black hair hung limply to his waist, having no body to it at all. But there was a duel disk proudly on his arm, and he seemed confident, brown eyes shimmering in the darkness. "Ryu Shigeru, weakest of his fellow companions…you're my target. Prepare to lose to Imoto Yutaro!" (ILP: 4000)

Clicking his own duel disk into the on position, Ryu couldn't help but smirk slightly. "The weakest of my companions? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But what you have to remember is that when comparing me to them…it's like comparing a firefly to the sun. Drake and Dalin…those two are gods among duelists, and so I could never hope to match them. Even Kai is beyond me…but I'll fight on no matter what, and that's my strength!" (RLP: 4000)

Imoto chuckled as he drew his opening hand, mimicked by Ryu. "That's your strength? Openly admitting that compared to your friends you're a weakling? Fine, but being the bottom of the top of the ladder is still the bottom! So I'll defeat you easily!"

Immediately he grabbed another card off his deck and added it to his hand. Then he placed a card onto his duel disk. "Come on out and start us off, Marauding Captain(1200/400)! And with your effect I'll summon Goblin Elite Force(2300/1500)!"

First came a callous looking blonde man in blue armor, wielding two swords. Then following him was a group of a dozen or so green goblins in polished armor, holding shining shields and swords. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Ryu took one swift look down at his hand of cards, and then chose his play. "You think the power of your monster will save you? Let's let Amberite Dragon(1400/2100) prove you wrong!"

A small dragon with amber colored skin formed from the darkness, its eyes bright red orbs. "Now, Stamping Destruction!" Imoto's eyes widened as a Godzilla-eske foot slammed down from above on his set card, flattening it. (ILP: 3500)

"I'll follow that up by playing Dragon's Gunfire! And using it's effect I'll destroy Marauding Captain!" A ball of flame shot out of the dragon's mouth and shattered the captain as if he weren't even there.

"Amberite Dragon's special ability activates! By forfeiting its attack for the turn I can shift one of your monsters into defense, and while in defense it can't protect your life points. In addition, as long as Amberite Dragon remains in play that monster can't switch modes. So, Goblin Elite Force goes to sleep!" The dragon's eyes turned a golden color, and the goblins instantly turned to stone.

Imoto looked truly panicked at this, but started to calm down when he had a realization. "I'm wide open, but your monster can't attack and you've already summoned this turn. So I'm all good for now."

"Nobody said you were fine, because you aren't! Go, Surprise Attack From the Darkness! Using its effect, despite Amberite Dragon's drawback, it now gets to attack you directly!" Golden flame sprayed forth from its mouth, washing over Imoto and driving him backwards. (ILP: 2100)

"End turn." Ryu slid the final two cards in his hand onto his duel disk, emptying out his hand and bringing his turn to its conclusion. Though it had taken nearly all of his hand, he had still managed a deadly assault that nearly cut his opponent's life points in half.

Imoto drew, seeming a bit surprised by Ryu's power. "I'll admit that I wasn't expecting that much strength…but you're still falling into my own trap. Activate magic card, Obligatory Summon! Now summon as many dragon sub-type monsters as you can from your deck to the field!"

Ryu didn't quite know what his opponent was up to, but he figured he should play it safe just in case. "I summon Diamond Dragon(2100/2800) in defense mode! Emerald Dragon(2400/1400) in attack mode! Crystal Dragon(2500/1900) in attack mode! And last but not least, Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)!"

Four monsters, each one the color of the gem it represented, took shape in front of him. They were of varying shapes and sizes, but none of them was hideous or unimpressive. "You've got balls, bringing out some of your big guns like that. Not that it'll help. Activate magic card, Emblem of Dragon Destroyer!"

A card ejected from his deck and he placed it amongst the other cards in his hand. Then he slid two cards from his hand into the graveyard. "Cost Down lets me discard a card to reduce all monsters in my hand by two levels for this turn. Now, I tribute Goblin Elite Force for Buster Blader(5100/2300)!"

The massive buster sword wielding monster in purple armor now emerged, gathering energy from each dragon into its blade, granting it even more attack power. "The card I just discarded is called Farewell Message, and when discarded for a card cost it destroys all other magic and trap cards in play!"

Ryu threw up a hand to shield himself as both of his face down cards shattered, revealing a Burst Breath and a Dragon's Rage. "With nothing to stop me, I'll kill Amberite Dragon in one slash. Buster Blader, attack with Bastard Blade!"

A single cleave of the curved sword detached the younger dragon's head from its neck. The rest of the body collapsed without the mind to support it, the stump of the neck spurting blood out onto the black ground. "Let's see you recover from that." (RLP: 300)

The dragon user looked down at his deck, and then back up at his opponent. "So you prepared to face me specifically? Regardless of that, it doesn't matter. It's time I show you that even as a firefly amongst stars, I still outshine you by far!"

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Takuya sighed as his opponent threw another card onto his duel disk. "Zone Control lets me select two magic or trap zones and make you unable to use them. So you're one farthest out and the one closest to your deck are gone!"

He nodded, not really bothered. Right now he had four of his magic zones unusable thanks to Zone Controls, and four of his monster zones unusable thanks to two Ground Collapse cards. He had King's Knight(1600/1400) on the field and one card face down, while his opponent had those four continuous cards, plus two set monsters.

"Next up, I flip summon Man Eater Bug(450/600) to destroy King's Knight!" A gigantic green bug leapt at his warrior and using its clawed hands, shoved the knight into its waiting maw. Takuay didn't even flinch at seeing his monster vanished.

"Then, I flip summon Crimson Ninja(300/300) and use his flip effect to blow away your set card!" Takuya's final card on the field was also blown apart, leaving him completely vulnerable at the moment.

"Now…to continue my combo, I tribute both of my monsters to summon Controller of the Mind's Eye(1800/1400)! Whenever this monster deals damage to the opponent, I can select one of their zones and make it permanently unusable! Mind's Eye Crush!" Takuya felt an assault on his mind, but his own natural mental barriers kept him safe. (TLP: 2200)

"I think I'll choose your monster zone to be worthless. Without your monsters, there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. So, I end my turn there." Takuya smiled slightly, impressed by his opponent. Despite the fact that the younger man had defended most of the duel, his strategy overall was fairly effective. If he could lock down Takuya completely, then it was all over.

"You're good kid…I'll admit that much. But your strategy takes way too much effort to set up…and far too little effort to knock it down! Go magic card, Reins of Power! At a cost of half my life points our fields are swapped for one turn!" The teen's eyes went wide as Controller of the Mind's Eye and the four continuous magic cards drifted over to Takuya's field. (TLP: 1100)

"If it means defeating my opponent's, I can accomplish anything. I've come along way over these past years from a duelist whose deck was merely a jumble of cards that he liked to a duelist who has true power. Now, with that true power, I'll finish you off!" He flipped around another of the cards in his hand, and his field started to glow.

"A Knight's Tale lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to special summon three monsters from my deck with 'knight' in their title. All that costs is half of my life points. So goodbye to your monster, and hello to Burn-Up Knight(1400/1200), Knight of Youth(700/300), and Forever Knight(1000/1000)!" His three monsters began to appear, but they were barely visible long enough for it to matter. (TLP: 650)

The glow continued to build, the three knights consumed by the energy as he took another card from his hand and held it out. "The monsters summoned by A Knight's Tale cannot attack during the turn they are summoned. So I'll replace them by summoning this monster…a monster of which only ten exist. Take your place at my side, The Once and Future King: Pendragon(3500/3000)!"

His opponent appeared absolutely terrified as the dignified man in majestic armor replaced the three lesser knights. He held a sword that seemed to gleam like the moon and a shield with an emblem of a dragon on it. "When summoned Pendragon destroys all face-up magic and trap cards on the field!"

The four continuous magic cards shattered into nothingness. "But that's barely important right now. Your field is empty, thanks to your own efforts, and so is your hand. There are no cards in your grave I don't know, and none can stop me. So…direct attack!"

A wave of holy energy swept aside his opponent, and seemed to burn away the darkness as well. "Well fought kid, but not good enough." (KLP: 0)

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Drake looked around, a sneer coming to his face as he studied the darkness. "This weak stuff again? If you're going to give me any sort of enjoyment I'm going to have to make things more interesting. Step one: Negate the Darkness Game."

He snapped his fingers and the darkness around him and his opponent faded. His opponent could only stare at him in horror, having been told that such a feat was impossible. Briefly he saw a black Kanji symbol burn on his opponent's forehead, but then it was gone like a trick of the light. "Now I replace your game with one of my own, a level six Darkness Game!"

"What…what's going on?" Drake's opponent, a young man of seventeen who had called himself 'Thrasher', was at this point just two steps away from having a nervous breakdown. He had felt all powerful since he had started using Blood, but he felt like a fly while he was near this guy. And the Darkness was so much more intense now as well. (DLP: 4000, TLP: 4000)

"Runt, I won't give you a chance to do anything at all. I'll kill you here and now, because there's no point in me wasting my time! Activate magic card, Assemblage of Darkness! At a cost of five hundred life points per card, and shuffling one card into my deck from my hand, I can add an equal number of cards to my hand from my deck, provided they aren't monsters." He smirked and held up four cards, then reshuffled them into his deck. (DLP: 2000)

Thrasher gulped, feeling true fear for the first time since he had begun using Blood. "Even if you try to kill me, Blood's connection to me will let it be burned up in place of my life. So even if I lose, I'll still live."

Drake paused, looking at the four new cards he held. His eyes narrowed slightly as he contemplated something, and then finally he broke into a grin. "You're a weakling but…you just gave me the answer to a riddle. So let me thank you by burning away your life quickly! Death Meteor!"

The punk screamed as a ball of fire slammed into him, ripping away his right arm, leaving him with a bleeding stump of a shoulder. He couldn't think of any words to express his pain, so he screamed louder and louder, just staring at the place his arm used to be. "Stop being such a crybaby. Death Meteor number two!" (TLP: 2000)

The second meteor took Thrasher's left leg off at the knee, and without that added support he fell over, lying face down on the ground, blood pooling around him. "At this rate your nickname could be Stumpy McGee. But when my last card is played there won't be anything left. Death Meteor number three!" (TLP: 1000)

The other arm was blown away, leaving Thrasher with only a single limb remaining. His sobs not intermixed with groans of suffering. "Fear not, the suffering is just about over. Final magic card…activate! Armageddon Meteor, and with three Death Meteors in the grave it now deals five thousand damage!" (TLP: 0)

Thrasher's flesh boiled away before the meteor even hit. When it did hit, the rest of Thrasher's body was incinerated. "Although you were hardly a challenge, you did give me an answer to an important question. Now…all that's left is to discover just what Dalin intends to do next."

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Back in his apartment, Daisuke Ihachi stared blankly ahead at the television set. It was off, and all the lights in the apartment were off. Unfinished ramen sat unattended in a pot on the stove. Everything was just as he had left it before the previous afternoon.

_'But it's not the same. I can still feel her, like a shadow of her presence…but she's really gone, isn't she?'_ His thoughts remained on the woman that was gone, far away from the meeting he was supposed to be attending.

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The first thing Kai heard upon reorienting to the darkness was a man's voice. "I though I was getting Drake Ihachi? Who the hell are you?"

Kai's left eye twitched slightly at this. "I'm Kai Kaethen."

A tall man of about 6'3 emerged. He had dark skin and curly black hair, along with a silvery DD2 on his right arm. "Yeah? Well I'm Colin Allanzo, and I ain't never heard of you before."

"I placed second twice in the Japanese National Championships. I placed in the top eight last year at the World Tournament." Colin eyed him blankly, still not getting the connection.

"Sorry, I still don't recognize the name. Damn it, and I was hoping to face one of the world's top duelists. Defeating a guy like that would be a true test of my abilities, but I guess in the end I'm just going to have to settle for a nobody." Sighing in frustration he activated his duel disk. (CLP: 4000)

Kai's left eye continued to twitch at a machine gun pace, and his right fist was clenched so tight that his knuckles had gone white. _'This guy…he's not kidding at all. He's got no clue who I am…and he's treating me like a half-rate duelist. If it weren't for those Drake comments it wouldn't be as bad but…I just can't tolerate this!'_

Growling in annoyance he pressed the activation button for his duel disk, triggering it immediately. "You may not know who I am, but that won't stop me from walking all over you. I'll show you my power and you won't walk away from it at all."

Colin sneered, already assessing his hand. "Ken, you don't stand a chance. Let me show you exactly what I mean!" He drew, and smirked at whatever he saw.

"My name is Kai!"

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Dalin's expression was completely neutral. But then again his expression was pretty much always neutral. "I have no time for games. Show yourself."

"Sure. I have to say though; this isn't what I was expecting. I knew I'd be facing a tough duelist…but the world's best? This is a treat indeed." A woman with long jet black hair approached him from the darkness, her facial features more masculine than feminine, with strong lines.

She smirked in a cocky manner and her black duel disk locked into place. "I'm Ebony by the way. It may seem clichéd, but that's not really a big deal. So, Dalin Imaki Sumatin, the Duel King…can you defeat me?" (ELP: 4000)

The muscular duelist activated his DD3, not even blinking in surprise at her confidence. He had heard many confident duelists before, and most likely at least half of them were better than she was. "Let's begin." (DLP: 4000)

Ebony smirked and immediately slammed one of the cards she was holding into her duel disk. "You won't last to the end of your first turn! Bury the Dead lets me send three monsters from my deck to my grave!"

Her duel disk scanned for the cards she had chosen, and then they popped out, letting her take them and slide them into the grave. "Next, I summon Soul Absorbing Bone Tower(500/1500)!"

Stretching up into the darkness was a terrifying structure that was dead as night, and constructed from corpses of the dead as well. Piled around it were skeletons. "As long as there are other zombies on my field this monster can't be attacked, and if I special summon a zombie from the grave you have to discard the top two cards of your deck."

Dalin didn't seem very interested in her first monster. He was as casual as he had been at the start. "You still seem confident, so let me treat you to a surprise. Silent Dead brings back a monster I sent to the grave in defense mode, my Eternal Dead(800/700)!"

A rotting corpse with a red aura around it dragged itself out of the ground. Immediately a ball of black fire slammed into Dalin, sent by the giant tower. In compliance with its effect he held up his top two cards, Rise to Heaven and Pluto, Angel of Weakening, and discarded them.

"The time has come to introduce you to the Infinite Deck Drain Combo! I sacrifice Eternal Dead to special summon a level three or lower zombie from the cemetery to the grave. Using its effect I special summon another Eternal Dead(800/700)!" The zombie was replaced by an identical one, and Dalin lost two more cards.

"Do you see it? By continuously sacrificing my Eternal Deads I can drain every last card off your deck, leaving you with nothing to draw! In a straight out duel I doubt I could beat you…but even you can't win now! It's impossible!" She smirked coldly as the last cards in his deck went to the cemetery, leaving him with an empty deck tray and only five cards in his hand.

Ebony folded her hand of cards together, signaling the end of her turn. That meant that Dalin's turn was about to start, and as soon as he tried to draw his fingers would touch nothing, and he would automatically lose. Yet despite that, he was just as calm as ever. _'Flinch damn you!'_

With his hand hovering over his empty deck tray, Dalin's eyes met hers and she felt like they pierced directly into her soul and read every aspect of her being. "There's something you should understand right now. When I'm involved…nothing is impossible."

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Author's Notes: And now, for dueling.

_Next Time: The meeting has been interrupted, and duelists under the influence of the mysterious mystic drug "Blood" have attacked the group. Dalin stands one draw away from defeat, and Kai faces an opponent who needs to be taught respect. Though danger looms before them, their goal has yet to be revealed. What task does Dalin have for them? Such a question can only be answered if he survives._

_See it all in,_ _The Midnight Meeting Pt. 2_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: Keep in mind, just because a character says something doesn't mean it's true. The truth will ultimately be revealed, but it isn't always true the first time you hear it. And now you see that you interpreted Kirani's mistaken Punishment Game basically right. Dark Drake is alive, well, and has his own body.

G.O.T. Nick: Thanks for the compliment. But, as a matter of fact, Drake going dark was not really her reason for leaving. At least not completely.

The White Mage: Poor Kirani? Your logic for that one escapes me. Weren't you hoping for her to die just a chapter ago?

WolfGeneral: Perfectly understandable.


	9. The Midnight Meeting, Pt 2

Author's Note: This is part two. Also, keep in mind that some cards played are not of my creation, but I simply don't have the patience to list them anymore.

**Chapter Eight: The Midnight Meeting, Pt. 2**

_A single cleave of the curved sword detached the younger dragon's head from its neck. The rest of the body collapsed without the mind to support it, the stump of the neck spurting blood out onto the black ground. "Let's see you recover from that." (RLP: 300)_

_The dragon user looked down at his deck, and then back up at his opponent. "So you prepared to face me specifically? Regardless of that, it doesn't matter. It's time I show you that even as a firefly amongst stars, I still outshine you by far!"_

He glanced at the drawn card, and then snapped his fingers, causing the four monsters on his field to explode. "These dragons are good…but not good enough. So I sacrifice them in order to summon Tiamat, the Queen of Dragons(5000/5000)!"

An enormous dragon emerged, five differently colored heads glaring down at Buster Blader who was suddenly looking very appetizing. Imoto just shook his head in amusement, well aware of his Blader's power. "Your monster is powerful, but Buster Blader has fifty-six hundred attack points. You can't beat that."

Ryu closed his eyes and bowed his head…and then snapped his head up and smirked. "Actually…it has sixty-six hundred attack. Since Tiamat was summoned I get to select two level seven or higher dragons from my deck and summon them to the field."

Two more cards popped out of his deck and he caught them, slapping them down onto the plate of his duel disk. "Coral Dragon(2600/2500) and Moonstone Dragon(3000/500)!"

A dragon with a body formed of ridged coral, and another that glowed with an inner blue light now stood one to each side of Tiamat, but neither anywhere near its size. Buster Blader immediately raised its blade, siphoning energy to gain attack points. "What's the point of this?"

Ryu smirked and pointed at the powerful warrior, and immediately Moonstone Dragon roared. "Moonstone Dragon, attack Buster Blader with Lunar Strike!"

Shards of stone pelted the Blader, whose armor started to crack under the force. In a rage the blader threw his sword, piercing into Moonstone Dragon's chest and destroying it. But shortly after the Blader collapsed and faded away. "What…what the hell? You should be dead and my blader should be alive!"

"Actually, when Moonstone Dragon battles another monster, regardless of damage calculation that other monster is destroyed. And as long as Coral Dragon is in play, I don't take life point damage when a dragon is destroyed in battle. So with the field clear…Tiamat, Five Point Dragon Flare!" Five separate streams of energy converged on Imoto and blew him away, clearing out the darkness as well. (ILP: 0)

Ryu took his cards and shuffled them up, shaking his head as he did so. "I forgot to mention Imoto…that I'm a much better duelist than anybody ever gives me credit for."

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"_The time has come to introduce you to the Infinite Deck Drain Combo! I sacrifice Eternal Dead to special summon a level three or lower zombie from the cemetery to the grave. Using its effect I special summon another Eternal Dead(800/700)!" The zombie was replaced by an identical one, and Dalin lost two more cards._

_"Do you see it? By continuously sacrificing my Eternal Deads I can drain every last card off your deck, leaving you with nothing to draw! In a straight out duel I doubt I could beat you…but even you can't win now! It's impossible!" She smirked coldly as the last cards in his deck went to the cemetery, leaving him with an empty deck tray and only five cards in his hand._

_Ebony folded her hand of cards together, signaling the end of her turn. That meant that Dalin's turn was about to start, and as soon as he tried to draw his fingers would touch nothing, and he would automatically lose. Yet despite that, he was just as calm as ever. 'Flinch damn you!'_

_With his hand hovering over his empty deck tray, Dalin's eyes met hers and she felt like they pierced directly into her soul and read every aspect of her being. "There's something you should understand right now. When I'm involved…nothing is impossible."_

With eyes closed, he drew, and held up a card with its back facing Ebony. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she saw that he had just drawn a card. "What…what is this? It's impossible!"

"As I said before, nothing is impossible when I'm involved. Allow me to explain: the card I just drew is called Cycle of Heaven, which when in the cemetery at the start of my turn is placed at the bottom of my deck. So when I drew, with no other cards the bottom was the top, and I drew it." Ebony grimaced, realizing that just that single card prevented him from ever decking out.

"Now, I activate its effect. I take three angels or angel related cards and shuffled them into my deck." He held up Mars, Angel of Power, Mercury, Angel of Wisdom, and Pluto, Angel of Weakening. Then he shuffled the three cards together and placed them as the only three cards in his deck.

"Next, I summon Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) to the field. I'll activate its special ability to pay 500 life point increments and shuffle angels either into my deck, or into my hand. So I pay thirty-five hundred life points." Seven cards popped out of his grave and he showed them to her, and then shuffled them back into his deck. (DLP: 500)

"Activate magic card, Temporal Disruption. I destroy all monsters on the field, and each player draws one card for every monster destroyed in this manner." All three monsters exploded, and Dalin drew one card while Ebony drew two.

"Quick-play magic card activates, Tears of an Angel. Since Neptune was just destroyed I may take it and fuse it together with an angel from my hand or field. Neptune now fuses with the angel I just drew, Mars. Together they create…Cyrus, Angel of Tears(2500/1300)!" A tall blonde man with elegant white wings stood in the place of Neptune. He had a razor edged spear in one hand, and a sorrowful look in his eyes.

Ebony suddenly realized that she was in trouble, because her field was totally empty. "Cryus attacks you directly." She cried out in pain as the spear stabbed into her shoulder, driving her to one knee. Cyrus wrenched it out, tears at the corners of his eyes as he floated back to Dalin's field, upset about the blood leaking from Ebony's wound. (ELP: 1500)

Dalin nodded his head to her, and she drew, giving her a grand total of six cards in hand thanks to Dalin's Temporal Disruption. "You…I'll crush you in battle if that's what I have to do! Matching Power lets me select one monster on your field, and then I can summon a monster from my deck with equal or lesser level. So I special summon Despair From the Dark(2800/2000)!"

A massive shadowed shape stood in front of her, ready to launch an attack. "The monster summoned in this way can't attack during this turn. So I'll set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn."

Dalin's features were as stony as ever as he drew, knowing full well that the card he pulled would be a monster. However, he didn't appear worried in the least. "The duel is over. I activate Cyclone from my hand, destroying your set card."

Ebony frowned to see her Mirror Force blown away so easily, but her Despair was still the strongest monster in play, so there was no need to worry. Plus her face down monster would be useful. "Cyrus attacks the set monster."

Her monster exploded, and then was almost immediately replaced by a massive brute with bones hung around his neck. "You destroyed Pyramid Turtle(1200/1400), letting me special summon a zombie from my deck with two thousand or less defense points. I chose Ryu Kokki(2400/2000)!"

"That doesn't matter. Cyrus's first effect is that when he battles a defense mode monster that has a lower defense than he has attack points, the opponent takes the difference as life point damage. In other words, he has a trample effect." Ebony realized that most of her life points had just drained away, but Dalin only had five hundred life points left and one card in her hand she didn't know about. It was hopeless for him. (ELP: 400)

"Just you wait, next turn I'll blow away Cyrus and finish you off. I must admit that I'm impressed by you; you've proven to be the strongest opponent I've ever faced. But we're in the same ballpark in level that I can still win!" She was ready to burst out in evil laughter, but was forestalled when Dalin's lips quirked up in what was obviously amusement.

"Ballpark? In matters of ability you might as well be playing an entirely different game. You see, Cyrus's second ability activates now. He is one of the most damaging angels in the entire game because of this. When he destroys a monster, that monster's attack points are deducted from the opponent's life points. Sorrow's Blade!" Ebony screamed as Cyrus jammed his spear into her gut, her life only saved by Blood draining itself to protect her. (ELP: 0)

Her vision swam in and out, and when she looked up she found Dalin standing directly above her. To her eyes it appeared as if he was a malevolent demon, grasping for her soul. "Leave me be! Please, don't kill me!"

"It's time you answer a few questions for me."

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_Growling in annoyance he pressed the activation button for his duel disk, triggering it immediately. "You may not know who I am, but that won't stop me from walking all over you. I'll show you my power and you won't walk away from it at all."_

_Colin sneered, already assessing his hand. "Ken, you don't stand a chance. Let me show you exactly what I mean!" He drew, and smirked at whatever he saw._

_"My name is Kai!"_

Colin just shrugged and pressed a button on his duel disk, opening up the field card slot. "Whatever you say Kei, I'll still crush you. Activate field card, Cloning Vats!"

The darkness around them shifted, and they were suddenly in a giant laboratory, surrounded by massive cylinders filled with green liquid. Various half-formed creatures could be seen floating in them. "It's Kai, not Kei!"

"You know, I really don't care what your name is. I just want to finish you off and get this over with. So, first I'll explain Cloning Vats. Whenever either of us special summons a monster we create a Clone Token with the exact same stats and effect as the original. However, if the original is destroyed, so is the clone." Kai nodded, registering the effect and keeping it in mind.

"You…you'll barely survive my first turn with this hand. Activate Radiance Burst! For every increment of six hundred life points I pay I can special summon a certain monster from my deck to the field. So I pay eighteen hundred life points to special summon all three!" Energy seeped out of him, and three of his monster zones exploded into flames. (CLP: 2200)

"Meet the three Solar Flare Dragons(1500/1000 X3)! And since I special summoned them, two of them get clones! Cloning Vats, do your stuff!" Two nearby vats churned, bubbles forming in them, and after several seconds they exploded, letting two serpent-like creatures slump the ground. They shook themselves off and then their bodies ignited like the other three.

"With my monster zones full, I'll end my turn by setting one card face down. But now…now their effects activate! During the end phase of my turn each Solar Flare Dragon deals you five hundred damage. So now you take twenty-five hundred life points of damage!" Each dragon's maw opened wide and flames swirled out, surrounding Kai. (KLP: 1500)

When the flames cleared, Kai was revealed looking slightly toasted but otherwise still intact. He shook himself off, and then drew. "I won't let you crush me quickly, I'll break your strategy in this turn. One card face down, and then Card Destruction!"

Colin raised an eyebrow, surprised that Kai had just tossed away his opening hand so quickly. "Crappy hand huh? Well even if you get a better one, it won't do you a lot of good. You can't even attack the Solar Flare Dragons as long as I have a pyro monster on the field, and since they're all pyro, you can't attack."

Kai's eyes hardened and he snapped up one of the new cards he had drawn. "Shut up and watch! Tiny Pound Hammer lets me shuffle it and any amount of cards from my hand into my deck, and then I draw an equal amount. So here goes my whole hand!"

He shuffled the four cards into his deck and then drew again. At what he saw, he looked a bit more satisfied. "Like I said, I'll break you here and now. Monster Breaker(1600/1000) in attack mode! And since I normal summoned him he gets a counter, raising his attack by three hundred."

The black armored breaker raised his sword, the capped jewel glowing with the counter on it. "I sacrifice his counter to destroy one of the original Solar Flare Dragons!"

A slash of Monster Breaker's blade and the pyro dragon exploded, followed shortly after by its clone. "Next up, I activate my set normal magic card Spell Production! This creates one magic counter on a monster on my field."

Once more the breaker jewel was charged. "Monster Breaker, use your special ability again!" And just like before one of the originals exploded along with its clone, leaving just one Solar Flare Dragon on the field. Colin looked dutifully surprised.

"Monster Breaker, attack the final one!" The sword wielding spellcaster rushed forwards and with a quick slash of his sword decapitated the pyro dragon. That single strike left Colin's field devoid of monsters. (CLP: 2100)

"Lastly I set one card face down. Your turn Cameron." Colin snickered, not bothered by Kai's play on how he had kept mistaking his name.

Colin slid a card off his deck, and then directly into his duel disk. "I play the continuous magic card Special Delivery. This card counts all monsters I summon as special summons. Next I reveal my trap card, D.D. Tribute. I can now remove monsters from the game as tributes."

He held up a Solar Flare Dragon, which faded away to make room for his next monster. "Let's give a round of applause as my favorite monster makes its entrance. Big Bang Dragon(2200/1800)! And since it counted as a special summon I get a clone!"

In mere moments Colin had created two identical monsters, both dragons made completely out of fire, and each one staring over at Kai. "Big Bang Dragon's effect lets me forfeit its attack for the turn to blow up one card on the field. So I forfeit each one's attack to destroy the two cards on your field!"

Each of his fire dragons spat out a ball of flame, engulfing his set card and his monster and turning them instantly to ash. "With the presence of my two dragons you have no choice but to sit back and let me kill you, because if you even try to defend I'll just cut through your defenses with their effect!"

Kai grimaced, knowing that Colin was right. However, there just might be something he could do. Taking a single from Colin, who had finished his turn by setting a card face down, Kai started his own turn. "My turn, draw!"

Quickly he formulated a plan, and knew exactly what to do. "I set a monster in defense mode and one card face down. End turn!"

Colin smirked and shook a finger back and forth in a manner usually reserved for a mother scolding a child. "You obviously didn't listen to me when I said defending wouldn't work. Activate trap card, D.D. Tribute!"

Another Solar Flare Dragon faded away, and Colin slapped one of his hand cards down. "Meteor Dragon(1800/1600) in attack mode! Now Special Delivery and Cloning Vats make me another Meteor Dragon!"

Two fat bodied dragons, whose bodies did in fact look like meteors, stood to each side of the Big Bang Dragons. "I'll forfeit the attacks of my two Big Bang Dragons in order to destroy the two cards on your field!"

Both Kai's set card and his defense mode monster were blasted by the dragon's flames, leaving his field completely empty. "Meteor Dragon, direct attack!"

Kai reached his hand out and a card ejected from his cemetery. He held it out in front of him and energy lanced out, stabbing into the dragon. The dragon exploded immediately into dust, and the clone of it crumbled as well. "When I'm attacked directly I can activate Voice from the Dust from my grave to destroy the attacker."

Colin's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. _'This guy…he deliberately defended knowing that I'd destroy his set card and forfeit my dragon's attacks. He lured me into a false sense of security so he could use Voice from the Dust!'_

With that realization, he understood that his opponent was more skilled than he would have guessed. But for the life of him he still didn't recognize the guy's name. "If that won't work, I'll just play Polymerization! I fuse my two dragons together into Big Bang Twin Dragon(2600/2400)!"

The only difference in the new monster and its predecessors was that this pure flame dragon had two heads instead of one. "Since a fusion is a special summon, now I get another one!"

Now he had two powerful monsters, but since he had created them in his second main phase they couldn't attack this turn. "And unlike their previous selves, these guys can break two cards on your field at a cost of an attack. So with just them I can kill up to four cards on your field per turn!"

Kai frowned, knowing that he had to get rid of the opposing monsters quickly or risk defeat. But the exact method for doing that eluded him. "Turn start, now I draw!"

He stared down at his monster…and then slammed into onto his duel disk. "This monster…he's different from the rest of the breakers. Breaker the Sword Dancer(1600/1000) gains a counter when normal summoned, just like his brethren!"

A silver armored breaker, with its armor much sleeker and refined than the others was generated by the darkness. It held one curved sword in each hand, and eyed the dragons carefully. "Like his brethren he gains three hundred attack for each magic counter on him. But unlike them, his maximum isn't one. In fact…he has no maximum!"

Colin shrugged, looking bored. "So what? If that's his only effect it just means he can carry a lot of counters. At least your other breakers have useful effects. This one's pathetic."

"You don't get it at all. Because he has no counter limit, his attack power also has no limit, that's what makes him special. So I activate Magical Essence! This card lets me remove magic cards from the grave, up to five total, to place magic counters on monsters on the field!" Four cards slid out of his graveyard, revealing Spell Production, Card Destruction, Arc Burst, and Breaker's Sneak Attack.

Four points of energy merged with Breaker the Sword Dancer, raising his attack points to thirty-one hundred. "Now, he attacks the original, destroying it and the clone!"

He zipped forwards, slashing his swords, and then stopped directly in front of Colin. There was a brief pause, and then the two dragon's four heads dropped off, and they exploded into particles. "End turn." (CLP: 1600)

Colin growled in irritation, it was starting to bother him that this guy was taking him down like this. But still, the one card in his hand would give him victory as soon as he drew. "Get ready to make your way to defeat."

He drew, barely looking at the card before holding out his other. "I use Monster Reincarnation to pick up Solar Flare Dragon from the grave." He slid the activated card and the drawn card as cost, and then grabbed the pyro monster from his grave.

"I normal summon Solar Flare Dragon, and get a clone token. And together, they create the Solar Defense Burn Lock. You can't attack them, and they'll drain you of a thousand points each of my turns. So…I end!" As soon as he did, Kai was engulfed by twisters of fire just like he had been on Colin's first turn. (KLP: 500)

When the flames died out Kai was looking a little worse for wear, his flesh slightly singed and his clothes a bit charred. "You're good Colon, but it's not going to be enough. I'll defeat you right now for comparing me to Drake at all!"

He drew, and then slid the card into his grave almost immediately. "Mystic Study is the spellcaster's version of Reinforcements of the Army, in other words I get to add a level four or lower spellcaster from my deck to my hand!"

A card popped out of his deck and he caught it. "Now I summon Effect Breaker(1600/1000) who gains a counter and raises his attack!" This breaker wore blue robes and armor, his sword held high.

"Like his effect would suggest I can now remove his counter to remove the effect of one monster on the field. So I remove the effect of one of your Solar Flare Dragons, leaving it open to attack." The flames of the pyro monster died out, leaving it just as a serpentine monster.

Colin looked horrified as he realized just what that meant. "It looks like I underestimated you…Kai."

"You did, and for that it's time to bring you down. Breaker the Sword Dancer, attack Solar Flare Dragon for game!" Making an x-shape out of his two swords the silver armored monsters dove at the dragon and snapped its head completely off. (CLP: 0)

Colin dropped to his knees, looking up at Kai in astonishment. "You…do you think I could have beaten Drake?"

Kai paused, and then decided he would have to give an honest answer. "No."

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Unaware of how the others were doing in their duels, Hikari had only been able to focus on her duel. Her opponent had been decently skilled with his machine deck, but in the end Hikari had managed to finish him off with a blow from Hercules. "Why is it that so many of m opponent's use machines? I hate machines…"

"Perhaps it's fate. Perhaps it was something you should have seen coming, perhaps it's a sign that terrible things are about to happen. I wonder if you'd ever considered that?" Hikari jerked around as someone walked out of the darkness that had yet to fade.

He was handsome, and appeared to be a handful of years younger than her. Dark red hair framed his face, cascading wildly down to his shoulders, giving him an almost feral look. His eyes were an almost unnatural shade of blue, the color of a robin's egg. And as she had noticed first, he was very handsome. "Who are you?"

"Oh I'm just someone who is interested in the goings on of the world. I spend most of my time drifting about, in and out of the shadows to see what's going on. You could say that I'm a collector of information, someone who enjoys seeing what's going on and taking note of it. And I've taken note of you, because you used to live here." He smiled, looking quite happy and amused. Something about that smile chilled Hikari to the core.

"What do you mean I used to live here? This is only my second ever Darkness Game, so how could I have ever lived here?" The man tapped the side of his head, still looking happy and amused as he began to explain.

"When a person enters a coma, they're basically trapped in their own mind. At least if that coma is natural. But if the coma's source is supernatural, they are usually sent to one of several dozen different supernatural zones. The person who caused your coma obviously was experienced in the Darkness Games, and so you got sent here. I'm not surprised you don't remember your time here but…we've met before." She shook her head, still not quite sure she understood.

"We met? In the darkness? But seeing you doesn't bring back any memories, and I'm sure that those memories would have to be somewhere if it happened." A shiver ran up her spine as the man's smile widened, and he walked to within a few feet of her. Casually she stepped backwards.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember, because I didn't look like this before. As I said, I'm someone who travels through the shadows and makes it a business to know things and make sure certain things go as they should." Hikari eyed him cautiously as he extended a hand, still smiling that eerie smile of his.

Cautiously she accepted the hand, shaking it. He grinned ever wider as she released his hand and asked a question that had been dying to be asked. "What's your name anyways? All you've told me so far is some cryptic stuff about what you do."

"Me? Oh you can call me Ikijigoku, I like that." The moment he said the name, Hikari felt another chill run up her spine, and it seemed like the darkness began to freeze. Something about this man was more unnatural than the darkness she was in.

'_Living Hell? What kind of person would be named that? Okay, something is officially not right here.'_ He didn't seem to be making any odd moves towards her, nor did he appear threatening at all. He was still smiling, and seemed to be doing so to placate her fears.

"So why did you come here? What's your interest in me?" Ikijigoku smiled and walked right up to her and tossed an arm around her shoulders, surprising her. She tried to jerk away, but his grip was incredibly powerful.

"I'm glad you asked that dear girl, because I've come to offer you a business deal. You see, as I said I'm a collector of information of sorts. So, any time I can get someone who has experienced the darkness to help me gather information it's really helpful. The more eyes and ears I have the better. So all you have to do is agree that whatever you hear and see will be granted to me as knowledge, and I can give you something in return." He smiled again, and the temperature in the darkness once more dropped by a few degrees.

"Like what? What could you offer me?" Ikijigoku chuckled and gestured with his right arm, the one not around her shoulders, at the expanse of darkness around them.

"I collect things Ms. Ihachi, that's something of a specialty. Anything in the darkness or in the world at all that you want, I can give it to you. All I ask in exchange is that you be a relay for information. It doesn't even require effort on your part, merely agreement. So, what do you say?" She mulled it over in her mind, the possibilities seemingly endless.

"Prove that it can be anything. Show me something that nobody could easily get their hands on. If you can give me anything, then that will be proof." He released her shoulder and clapped his hands together, looking happy and amused.

"Okay, I know just the thing. A trinket taken from the tombs of Egypt, buried deep under dozens of tons of sand after their purpose was served. None other than the Millennium Puzzle." He pulled his hands apart and, as if by magic (which it was), sat the golden upside down pyramid that Yugi Moto had known to have carried.

Hikari reached out and touched it, seeing that it was solid and not a fake. "So, what's the answer Ms. Ihachi? The deepest hidden desire of your heart can be yours on a whim, and all you have to do is say yes."

"Give me a minute, this isn't something I can just easily decide." Ikijigoku shrugged his shoulders, raising his hands as if to say 'think nothing of it'.

"Take all the time you want Ms. Ihachi. I've got all the time in the world…

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With the duels finished, and their opponents gone, unconscious, or soulless, the group reconvened in Dalin's living room. "As I was previously saying, there is someone we must locate in order to learn more about this Apocalypse. But locating him won't be easy."

Autumn raised a hand, and Dalin nodded to her like a teacher to a student. "Okay, but who is this guy that we need to find?"

"I can't even say that he is a 'guy'. This entity that we must find has been referred to throughout the millennia as The Puppeteer. His mere existence acts as a gravitational pull that has the world inevitably slouching towards Bethlehem. The Puppeteer's existence means that all events required for the Apocalypse to occur are carried out." Autumn lowered her hand, satisfied with the answer but confused.

Takuya learned forwards, rubbing his chin in thought. "So if we can find this Puppeteer, couldn't we just destroy it to prevent there from ever being Armageddon? That seems simpler than just asking it what this coming end of the world is and what's the source and how we stop it."

Drake sneered and kicked his feet up on the table, resting his arms behind his head. "Don't be naïve. You think that a being that has existed for possibly billions of years or more is something we can just kill? If it was killable it would probably have been destroyed ages ago."

Dalin sighed, hoping that he wouldn't have to prevent another fight from breaking out. "Drake is, unfortunately, correct. There is no guarantee that the Puppeteer is even a tangible being that we could fight, let alone kill. We just have to find the Puppeteer and learn what we need to know."

Since everyone else seemed to be taking their turn to say something, Ryu felt that now was his chance to ask a question. "Yeah, okay, I get that, but I've got a different question. What's the significance of those hot spots of darkness you mentioned?"

"I'm glad you asked. If these hot spots are leaks from some other plane of existence, one of evil, then removing the hot spots will most likely slow whatever is causing this. It seems that all it takes is a slight concentration of magic to do so. All we would need is to communicate with people capable of using magic all around the world and have them do so. That will be your job, as well as Autumn's." Ryu and Autumn glanced at each other, then turned away. They would do it for the world.

Hikari spoke up for the first time since they had reconvened, looking a bit apprehensive. "What about the rest of us? What will we be doing?"

Dalin began to speak again, pointing at each of them in turn as he named them. "You and I will be heading to Tibet in order to speak to a monk with the capability of seeing the rest of the world. Potentially he can give us more information on the Puppeteer."

He pivoted on his heel, addressing some of the others. "Takuya and Kai will go to New Zealand, where my studies have shown may be the location of a buried ancient artifact capable of recording all changes in the balance between darkness and light. It may prove pivotal."

Finally he turned to look at Drake, who was still sprawled out on easy chair, looking really arrogant and lazy. "Drake and Kirani will take a trip to Madrid, Spain. There, beneath the cathedral are buried many of their kings of old. Rumors have said that a book called The Concordance of Legends is buried with one of them. This book should have specific information about the Puppeteer and the Apocalypse. Finding it is critical to stopping the Apocalypse in its tracks."

The assembled men and women all looked at each other, gauging their reactions. There was a brief period of silence, and then Dalin spoke again. "I'll give you all files containing more specifics when you leave. Now, are there any questions?"

Ryu tentatively raised a hand, and Dalin immediately acknowledged him. "Yes Ryu?"

"Err…I was wondering again, what's with the filing cabinets?" Dalin responded with that bare smile that he usually used in place of a more genuine one. He pulled open one of the cabinets and reached inside, pulling out a folder. It was clearly labeled '1210-1220 C.E. Africa'.

"These files contain information I have gathered over the past six years, since after Battle City. Information recorded in them is on legends, history, and when possible actual records of events and mystical items, and other similar things. This research is how I know what I have told you. It was gathered with aid from Isis, as well as Kai's own efforts. Some of them also contain records I use personally, in order to uncover the truth of who I am." Ryu stared at him blankly for several seconds, and then finally decided to respond.

"You have a lot of time on your hands, don't you?"

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As all the others headed out, files in hand, Kai stayed behind to talk to Dalin briefly. "I've got some information I wanted to give you, but I'm not sure if it plays any relevance. This is a translation of a broken tablet my team found recently."

Dalin accepted the piece of paper that Kai handed him, and briefly read what was written there. Finally he spoke. "Thank you Kai, I'll take this into account. I'll pass it on to Isis and Rishid, as they are scouring Egypt and the Tomb Keepers for more information."

Bowing briefly, Kai turned to depart for his car, only stopping to say one last thing. "Does something seem wrong with Drake to you? He was acting a bit more…aggressive than usual."

"Something strange is going on, but his attitude is most likely caused by personal problems. I'm certain that Kirani will be able to keep him focused and on task when they depart for Madrid. We have more important things to worry about than Drake being grouchy." Kai stopped a grimace from coming on, knowing it wouldn't look right to act so negatively about a teammate at such a critical juncture.

As soon as Kai had gone, leaving Dalin as the only one there, Dalin spoke again. "You can come out now. Hiding is pointless."

The bushes rustled, and then someone clambered out. It was a blonde girl in a blue sun dress, pouting prettily. "I was that obvious huh? I thought I was getting better at hiding when I needed to."

"You've proven to be very sneaky time after time Alice, the fact that you're here at all attests to that. But you should know by now that few things slip by me." The blonde girl, obviously in her early twenties, smiled and latched onto Dalin's arm.

"Sumatin-senpai, can I help out? You know I'm a good duelist, after all, you've helped me out. I could be really useful to you." Dalin didn't even blink, as he had grown used to the girl's clingy manner.

"I'll consider giving you an assignment on one condition. Tell the rest of the fan club you formed that they aren't included." Alice pouted, gripping his upper arm even tighter. Of course the pouting didn't affect him; it never had and probably never would.

Stepping back she struck a pose, pointing up at the sky as she did so. "Of course, because I am after all the true ultimate Dalin Imaki Sumatin fan girl, Alice Terry!"

Dalin glanced at her briefly, and then walked back into his house. _'Somehow, this gets more annoying every time. And right now…the stakes are just too high to have her around. Alice, if you aren't careful you'll get yourself killed.'_

He paused at the window, and then looked up, watching the stars. _'However, in a period of time when it seems that endless night is all that awaits us, I cannot find it in me to dash the spirits of a girl who is always full of light and life. She is perhaps my way of hoping that the world can continue despite the coming darkness.'_

The hand that gripped his window sill tightened, causing the plaster to creak under his powerful grip. _'Nor do I have it in me to tell them that the Apocalypse is something we almost certainly cannot stop. I can feel the end of the world coming, and even our efforts may fall short of stopping it. It is…inevitable.'_

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Author's Notes: And now for something completely different.

_Next Time: The plan has been set in motion, but the wrong Drake is in on it. Meanwhile the original Drake finds his life twisted by Kirani's departure. But as more and more begins to happen to him, he is sent on a downward spiral towards a place of suffering in his soul. _

_See it all in,_ _Downward Spiral!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: I explained some stuff to you, so you know that. As you can see, Kai did reveal his findings (which aren't very much btw).

G.O.T. Nick: Only a few actually, but one perfect method for preventing deck out.

The White Mage: Poor Kirani? Your logic for that one escapes me. Weren't you hoping for her to die just a chapter ago?

WolfGeneral: Perfectly understandable.


	10. Downward Spiral

Author's Note: I just like kicking the proverbial shit out of my characters don't I?

**Chapter Nine: Downward Spiral**

_His head tilted backwards as he screamed to the heavens, pulses of energy flooding through his body. One pulse, then a second, and finally a third, and at long last it seemed done. Slowly, Kirani approached him. "Drake...is that...the real you?"_

_Violet eyes looked up at her, violet eyes filled with horror, fear, and remorse. Those violet eyes could belong to not a single soul other than the man she had fallen in love with. "Kirani...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen."_

_She dropped to his side and embraced him immediately, her touch telling him that everything was alright, that she didn't blame him. Her touch, her warmth, and her eyes conveyed more than words would have. He simply knew her like he knew himself, and that was why he knew it wasn't over. "Kirani...you're on the verge of tears...what's wrong?"_

_Kirani backed away and stood up, looking down at him, blinking back tears. "This last fight...it's told me something I needed to hear, and so has the Heart of Love. I...as hard as this is to do...I'm leaving Drake."_

_His stare was blank, as if he didn't understand. Or maybe he couldn't bring himself to understand. "I...but why?"_

"_I learned just minutes ago that this world isn't safe for...certain people. And I know that you're always going to be right in the thick of it. So the safest thing for...certain people, is if I leave. I'm sorry, but I have to go...I don't want to, but I have to. I can only hope that you'll understand, and that you won't hate me. Just please remember that I will always love you...I just can't be with you right now."_

_And then, in what was perhaps the most mind numbing event of the day, Kirani uttered a single word that shattered everything for him. "Goodbye."_

_Then she was gone._

Most bartenders lived unusual lives. It was simply a fact of life that when you ran a place designed for selling alcohol to people who had every intention of getting drunk you'd wind up meeting a lot of odd people. So when the russet haired young man had slumped down on a stool at the bar, he had been almost expecting oddity.

The young man had dropped onto the stool and gazed up at the bartender with a listless look in his violet eyes. "I'd like something…strong. Really strong."

Since he saw no reason in not complying, the bartender took out the most alcoholic drink he had and gave the man a glass of it. Just as the bartender had been expecting, the kid downed it in seconds and motioned for more. "You know, I think I'll just leave the bottle with you."

The contents of the bottle vanished in the next thirty minutes, and the guy still looked just as miserable. With few customers in the bar, the bartender did something that was against his better judgment. He asked what was wrong.

"She…left." That was the only response he got before the kid buried his head in his glass, not looking up. The bartender had expected something like that, because men had a tendency to drown themselves in alcohol when it came to leaving.

"If she left, good riddance right? If she wasn't willing to be with you then you're probably better off without her." Instantly the man knew he had said the wrong thing. The younger man's head shot up, his violet eyes brimming with rage. A hand snapped out and grabbed the collar of his shirt in a flash, wrenching him closer.

"She was my everything…and I am not better of without her!" With a single push the young man tossed the bartender backwards into shelves of various types of alcohol, shattering bottles. At the same time the entire bar started shaking, as if an earthquake were happening.

"All that's left for me without her is…me. And without her…I hate me. I always have, and she's the only one who ever made me like myself. She's the only one who ever made me feel like I deserved to be in this world at all. Without her…who am I really?" He slumped down again, and the shaking of the building subsided.

Then, in what was the oddest thing the bartender had seen in his career, the man swung his left arm violently. It wasn't the swinging that was odd, but rather the fact that everything on the far side of the room that was in the direction his arm pointed suddenly exploded. Wood burst into tiny fragments and glass shattered. "Who am I really!"

The man stumbled off his seat, his shoulders shaking as he tromped towards the door. But something stopped him. It took the terrified bartender a minute to realize what it was. The man's gaze was now fastened on the television screen that was displaying the news.

"Turn it up. Now." Gulping the bartender fumbled for the remote, and turned up the volume on the TV set as quickly as he could. Then he jabbed the volume button with his thumb, hoping it got loud enough in time for the man to hear what he wanted to hear. The bartender didn't want to be blown up.

"This was the scene today at the Kyoto apartment of local resident Tenjiku Ihachi. This mother of two lived alone in her apartment, supported by her two children until this very day. Mrs. Ihachi's disappearance is one of a string of vanishing acts in the past few months, making this one around number five hundred. Police are currently investigating, but no leads have turned up so far. More on this later." The man stared at the screen blankly for several moments, as if trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

"No…no….first Kirani and now this. I'm damned, cursed and damned, anyone who cares about me is damned to suffer…and that's why she left. Mother…I can't feel you at all, and I know…I know the truth." The TV exploded, just like the tables had earlier, raining sparks down on the cowering bartender. The man barely seemed aware of it.

He stumbled away, a deadened look in his eyes. A few minutes later the bartender got the nerve to peak over the counter, and determined that the man had in fact left. Finally he spoke. "W..what the hell was that guy?"

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Drake had experienced tragedy in his life before, but somehow this felt a little bit more like some deity was messing with his life. His father had died when he was very young, but that happened to plenty of people across the world.

When his sister had gone into a coma, it had seemed that things were even worse, but it was also understandable because of his sister's disease. His mother's almost complete and total breakdown at the time was also understandable because she had lost her husband, her daughter, and her son had become violent and she almost never saw him.

Later he had learned that his sister's coma had been caused by the ancient immortal spirit that had been a past incarnation's sister. She had at the time called herself Ihachi, but according to what he had learned she was called Ihami.

After all he had dealt with in Battle City and its aftermath, along with the events revolving around Eikyuu, it seemed that Drake was indeed cursed, or so he thought to himself. But when he and Kirani had finally gotten together, it seemed that maybe that wasn't the case. He could finally be happy in a way that he never had been before. At the same time his sister had been healed and restored by the power of a god, stripping her of her disease completely.

For roughly the next five years he had been at peace, his life had been truly relaxing and wonderful for the first time since he was eleven. Now, at the end of those years, he had been stricken again.

Yumi, who had been part of a truly sickening period in his life, had returned and hurt Kirani, and unleashed the dark personality that lurked within him. This dark personality had proceeded to slaughter human beings and nearly killed Kirani. So of course she left him. And roughly twenty-four hours later his mother was discovered missing.

The first five years of his life had been peaceful, and then his father had died. Then he spent another five or so years before his sister was forced into a coma. About six years after that he got a chance at peace. Nearly six years after that peace started, his life was ruined again.

Those jumps in time in such similar increments, along with how it all seemed to happen at once when it did happen, seemed to prove Drake's theory that somebody in the universe really loved to make him miserable. "Maybe I just don't deserve to be happy."

"You're a pretty negative guy. You Drake Ihachi?" Drake bit back a groan and turned around, discovering a man of similar age, wearing a leather jacket with spiked shoulders and a spiked collar. Everything from that to the steel-toe black boots screamed 'punk' about the man.

"I'm Drake Ihachi. Now fuck off." Automatically Drake had switched to English to match the man's speech. The punk smirked and raised his left arm, which had a jet black DD3 attached to it. The deck was already in, and his life point counter seemed to be active as well.

"Nah, can't do that physically, it's impossible. Besides, I've been sent by a guy to make sure you never duel again, or so he said. I was given a way to make that possible, but first I gotta beat you in a duel. So start up that duel disk and let's get going." He drew five cards, and tapped his booted foot against the ground impatiently.

Drake shrugged and turned away again. "I'm not dueling you. I've got no interest in it. Now go away."

The punk shook his head and snapped two fingers together, instantly forming a dome of darkness around them. "Sorry, can't do that. And with the power of Blood I invoke a Darkness Game to prevent you from leaving. The only way out is to defeat me, Guy Robinson, in a duel." (GLP: 4000)

Drake sighed, and listlessly turned on his duel disk. Then he shuffled up his deck and inserted it into the deck tray. Finally he drew his own hand of five cards, recognizing that there was no getting out of this easily. "Fine, we'll duel. Let's just get this over with already." (DLP: 4000)

"Sheesh, you're impatient. But hey, great things take time. But good moves don't always, so let me start things off strong by summoning Archfiend Soldier(1900/1500) in attack mode!" A purple skinned demon with a cape and a sword formed in front of him, already prepared to attack.

Drake frowned, recognizing the monster but not the name. "Don't you mean Demon Soldier? That's what it's called; I've had it played against me before."

Guy waved it off as if it were nothing. "That's in Japan, but see, the way you guys refer to demons has something to do with the way it's written. In English we can't do that, so to separate it from other monsters that might have 'demon' in their name, we call these monsters Archfiends."

When Drake didn't bother to respond, Guy realized that his opponent didn't really care. "Fine grumpy dude, I'll just set one card face down and end my turn."

Drake drew, and then without looking at his hand he placed the drawn card onto his duel disk. "Hell Spell Striker(2200/1500) in attack mode. Crush Archfiend Soldier."

The brute attacked, rushing in to completely destroy the weaker monster. _'When Hell Spell Striker kills Archfiend Soldier I'll add Magic Saint to my hand from my deck and use its effect to special summon it and go direct for seventeen hundred life points of damage.'_

Guy pointed to his face down card, which immediately flipped up. "You've activated my trap card, Bark of the Dark Ruler! Now I can pay increments of one hundred life points to reduce your monster's attack by that amount. So I pay four hundred life points to make it weaker!" (GLP: 3600)

Hell Spell Striker stumbled, and with that opening the purple skinned demon darted in and decapitated the struggling spellcaster. Its head went rolling, and then the rest of it faded away as well. "Hehehe, looks like you need to watch out for traps better." (DLP: 3900)

On the other side of the playing field, Drake was mentally berating himself as he actually looked at his hand. _'I had Shrink in my hand, so I could have dropped the power of his soldier and still won that battle, as well as getting to play Magic Saint like I wanted. Damn it…I haven't made that kind of amateur mistake since early in Battle City. What's wrong with me?'_

Finally, he spoke out loud. "I set two cards face down. Then I end my turn." Still he couldn't help but feel like he had missed the perfect opportunity to nearly end the duel in one fell swoop.

His punk opponent chuckled as he held up a card from his hand, which depicted Dark Ruler Hades batting aside a weak little goblin. "I play Blow of the Dark Ruler, which can only be activated if I have an Archfiend in play. It destroys one card on your field and forces you to discard a hand."

Drake's left most set card exploded into tiny pieces. He grimaced since it was better than his other set card, his Shrink card. Looking at the three cards left in his hand, he finally chose one and slid it into the graveyard. "Fine, anything else?"

"Sure is. I summon Shadow Knight Archfiend(2000/1600) in attack mode!" A tall blue skinned demon in silver armor, wings extended out, and a visor covering its eyes now stood next to Archfiend Soldier. Instead of holding a sword, this demon had a sword for a right hand and long razor sharp claws for a left hand.

"Since I've got just that one card to worry about, I'll attack you directly with Shadow Knight Archfiend!" Drake mentally did a calculation in his mind as the knight raced towards him, and then made his decision. The demon's sword-arm slashed him across the chest. (DLP: 2900)

"Just like I remembered, Shadow Knight Archfiend only does fifty percent damage. That's a pretty big disadvantage for any monster, let alone Shadow Knight Archfiend with its high life point payment." Guy shrugged, not exactly bothered by that.

"Well, just let me worry about the payment. You? You should worry a bit more about Archfiend Soldier, because he's attacking you directly right now!" Drake sighed as the monster came charging at him, and then motioned to his set card.

"Speaking of fifty percent, here's my Shrink magic card! This cuts your monsters attack down to fifty percent, so it's only half the damage it might have been!" But that didn't stop it from cutting across his chest, drawing a long line of blood diagonal to the previous attack of Shadow Knight Archfiend. (DLP: 1950)

Guy smirked, still satisfied by what he had accomplished in this turn. "Sheesh, it's only my second turn and I've already got you down to past half life points. Really, you're not as much of a challenge as I might have hoped for. Whatever, just makes this easier for me."

He slipped a card from his hand onto his duel disk, and it appeared directly in front of him, behind Archfiend Soldier. Finally he pointed at Drake, still smirking. "Go ahead and take your turn. I ain't got all day."

Drake silently drew a card, and then held up a Pot of Greed, drawing two immediately. "I set a monster face down and a magic or trap card behind it. That's all."

Guy pointed to his face down card just as Drake was finishing his turn, and it immediately flipped up. "Sorry, can't let you get away with ending your turn so fast. I activate Battle-Scarred, a continuous trap card! First step, I select an Archfiend in play. Shadow Knight is my choice."

Shadow Knight roared at being select, and its gaze settled on Drake. "Step two happens during my standby phase. Whenever I pay life points for the chosen monster, my opponent has to pay them as well. And Archfiend payments are mandatory."

Drake did the math and grimaced, realizing that it would quickly drain his life points. He couldn't afford that. Guy seemed to see the path Drake's mind was taking, and spoke up. "Don't worry, part three of the effect says that if this card goes to the grave, the chosen monster does as well, and vice versa. So if you've got a card that can kill it, you're fine. Do you?"

When he got no response, he knew that Drake didn't. So, since Drake had basically already announced the end of his turn, Guy drew. "And now…the standby phase. Shadow Knight, take what you need."

To Drake's surprise the Archfiend turned around and chomped down on Guy's neck, drawing blood. Guy shuddered, but the wound closed almost instantly after the Archfiend released him. "That was my nine hundred life points. Now, it's your turn." (GLP: 2700)

Shadow Knight flapped its wings and using the lift it flew to Drake's field and bit down on the juncture of his neck just like it had with Guy. Drake felt the blood flowing from the wound into the demon's mouth, and forced himself not to react to it. Finally it was appeased and returned to Guy's field. "You happy now?" (DLP: 1050)

His punk opponent shook his head, and grabbed his newest card. "Nope, I've got even more in mind for you. I tribute you Archfiend Soldier in order to present to you Mefist the Infernal General(1800/1700) who has a trample and discard ability."

Replacing the purple skinned demon was a demon in full armor, riding a horse and wielding a spear. His gaze fell upon Drake's set monster, and he looked eager to go on the attack. "Sure Mefist, take down his set monster."

Mefist raised his spear and hurled it straight at the set monster. But to Guy's surprise it bounced off and hurtled back at him, only to be caught by Mefist. The set monster shimmered and was revealed as a magician in robes that seemed to depict the sky. "Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900) has just enough defense to survive." (GLP: 2600)

"You may have defended yourself from Mefist, but your magician won't be so lucky against Shadow Knight. Gut his puny magician!" Shadow Knight's claws slashed right across Guardian Magician of the Day's belly, causing its intestines to roll on out.

"I'll finish up my turn by setting a card face down. Ups to you yo!" Drake blinked, not quite understanding what his opponent had just said. His English had vastly improved over the years, but that didn't seem like proper English at all.

Sighing, Drake drew, and then pointed at his set card. "Reveal face down card, Monster Reborn! I'll use it to special summon the monster you just killed, so welcome back Guardian Magician of the Day!"

Guy shrugged, still confident. "Why should I give a damn about that weakling? I beat it before and I can easily beat it again."

"It's different this time. When Guardian Magician of the Day is special summoned, I get to take Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) from my hand or deck and special summon him to the field!" A nearly identical magician appeared, the only difference being that it's robes looked like the sky at night instead of during the day.

"Now, as Unity Magicians they have a special effect while together on the field. At a cost of one thousand life points I can destroy all magic and trap cards on your field…or all monsters on your field. I choose all monsters!" The two magicians united their wands and sent a stream of energy sweeping across the field, blowing up both opposing monsters. (DLP: 50)

"Since the field is cleared of monsters, I attack you directly with both for game!" Twin streams of magic went straight for Guy. They collided with him, and he was knocked backwards, but didn't look overly harmed. In fact, it looked like a lot of the energy was being leeched away by Guy's set card.

"Hehe, I don't intend to lose so easily so I activated my set card, Dark Energy Collector which converts one source of damage into life point gain. So I gained nineteen hundred attack from Night, before getting hit by Day. All together that's a five hundred point net gain!" His down card vanished, and he lifted his duel disk to show his life points. (GLP: 3100)

Drake frowned, realizing he had spent all but fifty of his precious life points and only succeeded in increasing his opponent's life points. _'This guy should be an easy win. Why is this so much trouble?'_

Still troubled he set a monster onto his field, and then a magic or trap card face down. "End turn at that."

Guy drew, and then flipped over the drawn card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw twice…and now it's time for a change in location. Introducing the city of the damned, Pandemonium!"

The darkness around them converted into a hellish city, replete with demons wandering around everywhere. But Drake had quite literally been to Hell, so this wasn't really anything that bothered him. "Next, I summon Infernal Queen Archfiend(900/1500). Now, I use her effect and boost her attack to nineteen hundred."

A red skinned female demon in purple robes emerged, and screamed with pure hatred as her power increased. She glared across the field at Drake, who watched her and Guy stoically. "Now…the set card…I won't trigger it. End turn."

Although he was bothered by Guy's ability to see through his face down card, he still knew he had to continue the duel. So he started off his turn just like any other, by drawing. Surveying the field he came to a distinct conclusion. Defense was what he needed. "First I switch my two face-up monsters into defense mode."

The two guardian magicians dropped into crouching positions, giving him three defenders to protect his life points. "Now I set another monster in defense mode." A fourth joined the other three, giving him a virtual wall of defense that wouldn't be easy to break through.

With that done, he pointed to Guy. So Guy drew, and seemed to be confident in whatever he saw. "Since I now have an Archfiend in play, I can finally summon this guy. Come on out and join your queen, Terror King Archfiend(2000/1500)!"

Taking shape beside the queen was a truly royal looking demon, with bone spikes that seemed to form a crest around his neck and a crown upon his head. He stood with his back completely straight, his hands balancing his sword which was point down against the ground. "Now, Infernal Queen Archfiend uses her effect to increase Terror King to three thousand attack points!"

To Drake's utter disgust, the female demon turned and embraced the king, kissing him. When she released him, he threw back his head and roared in triumph, his power shooting up to equal that of a Blue Eyes. "To end my turn I set one card face down. Now it's your turn."

Drake picked up a card, and then placed it down on his duel disk. Another horizontal monster card appeared on his field, filling up his zones. "That one face down monster, and that's it. Go."

The moment that Guy drew, Infernal Queen was already wrapping herself in crimson energy, her attack points shooting up to nearly match those of Terror King. "Now she gains an additional one thousand points, giving her a grand total of twenty-nine hundred attack points!"

He smirked and pointed at Drake's two guardians, and the demons eyed them like snacks. "Terror King Archfiend will destroy Guardian Magician of the Night, and Infernal Queen Archfiend will kill Guardian Magician of the Day. Attack!"

The two demons flapped their wings, and massive swarms of insects were issued forth, streaking across the field to consume the two named monsters. But Drake was ready for that. "In chain to Terror King's attack I'll activate Mirage Magic, which negates the attack and gives me his attack as life points!"

Guy made a clicking noise with his tongue, and gestured with his left hand to his set card. "A magic card, what a pity. Magic Jammer negates it completely at a cost of one discard, the one card in my hand being the discard."

As soon as he dropped the one card he held into his graveyard, the rainbow barrier that had started to form shattered, allowing Terror King and Infernal Queen to blow away Drake's two face-up magicians. "And that, as they say, is that. End turn."

Drake drew, and felt a rush of feeling coming on. He knew the move he could make right here. "I sacrifice two of my face down monsters in order to summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!"

Two set cards vanished, immediately replaced by the leather clad blue-skinned magician. He spun his staff over his head and then slammed it into the ground, causing a card to pop out of Drake's grave. "When this monster is summoned I can take back one magic card from my grave and add it to my hand."

He picked up the card, and then flipped it around so that Guy could see it. It showed a Battle Ox being massively reduced in size. "Shrink will now cut Terror King's attack in half, making him weak enough to be destroyed."

Terror King roared, and casually produced a large white die from out of nowhere. Guy explained as Terror King tossed the die onto the ground. "Whenever Terror King is targeted specifically by an opponent's effect I roll a die, and if the result is two or five the targeting card is negated and destroyed."

To Drake's chagrin, the die ended up on a two, and his Shrink card shattered into nothingness. "Fine, if that was negated, then I'll just set one card face down and end my turn."

Guy barely even looked at his drawn card before Infernal Queen rushed over and gave Terror King another kiss, raising his attack to a deadly four thousand. "Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll attack Black Magician of Chaos with Infernal Queen and your set monster with Terror King."

Drake understood his opponent's reasoning, because if Drake negated the attack on his Black Magician of Chaos, Guy could still destroy a potential threat in Drake's set monster without risking of activating any effect it might have. "You thought it out, but you forgot non-targeting cards. Reverse card open, Mirror Force!"

A shining barrier formed, and both demons exploded into dust. However, almost immediately two more cards popped out of Guy's deck, and he grabbed them. "When you destroy an Archfiend in any way other than battle and Pandemonium is in play, I get to add an Archfiend from my deck to my hand that has at least a level less."

Drake nodded, not really bothered. Any monsters taken would be low level monsters, and not really much of a threat to his Black Magician of Chaos. "Now, I discard Des Rook Archfiend(1100/1800) from my hand since Terror King was destroyed, allowing me to special summon Terror King back to the field!"

Guy slid the card into the grave, and immediately the royal demon reappeared, stretching out his wings in his triumphant return. "Next I activate the effect of Queen's Succubus(300/700) letting me discard it and one card from my hand to special summon Infernal Queen Demon from my grave to the field."

The female demon rejoined her husband, looking suitably angry at having been destroyed. Black Magician of Chaos gave them a look that said he had every intention of doing so himself. "Since my monsters are no match for yours, I'll move into my second main phase and boost Terror King to three thousand attack points. Then I end my turn."

Drake slid another card off his deck, and assessed the situation. He could attack and kill Infernal Queen and remove her from the game for a nice amount of damage, but it wouldn't finish off Guy. But doing so would leave his Black Magician of Chaos open to being destroyed, and he couldn't handle two hundred damage since he only had fifty life points. "I set one card face down. Then I switch Black Magician of Chaos to defense mode. End."

His opponent drew, and Infernal Queen Archfiend was wreathed in flame, her attack points raising to become greater than Black Magician of Chaos'. "Infernal Queen Archfiend will attack Black Magician of Chaos!"

Releasing a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, Drake activated his face down card. "Reveal trap card, Mechanical Magic Mirror which can work as one magic card in your grave. I choose to use the effect of Pot of Greed!"

Guy shrugged, because although Drake got to draw two cards, Infernal Queen Archfiend still got to slice Drake's magician in half. "Whatever, draw as many cards as you want, but it won't help. Now, Terror King finishes off that set monster."

As Drake's final defense was blown away, he actually found himself thanking his opponent for using Terror King for that. His remaining monster had been Sage of Unending Darkness, whose backlash for getting his effect wrong was a thousand damage, which would finish Drake off. "I'll set a magic or trap card face down, and end my turn. Sooner or later my royal couple will crush you into the dirt, it's only a matter of time."

Drake sighed and looked down at the cards he was holding. They were good cards, but not really useful right now. However, if he drew the right card then they just might help him out. "I draw!"

He looked down at the card, and then added to his hand. Next he grabbed one of the previous two he had been holding and extended it. The card depicted a line of dark energy swirling together with a line of white energy. "Activate magic card, Chaos Fusion! This card lets me combine one dark monster and one light monster to create a powerful fusion."

With the ease of a practiced duelist he flipped around the two other cards he was holding. "I combine Muse of Darkness(1500/1400) with Muse of Light(1400/1500) in order to create Muse of Chaos(2500/2500)!"

The monster created was a beautiful woman with golden hair in a silvery toga. One of her eyes was black, while the other was white. "Muse of Chaos now attacks Terror King Archfiend!"

The toga wearing spellcaster raised her hand, and a bolt of energy shot out of it, heading straight for Terror King. Guy just looked at Drake like he was crazy. "What the hell kinda move is that? Terror King has five hundred more attack points than your monster!"

"Look again Guy! Whenever Muse of Chaos is in battle, all of the opposing monsters have their effects removed. So for this attack, Terror King's power is reduced to its base of two thousand!" Guy looked over at his monster, and to his dismay it was true. Terror King had indeed dropped back to two thousand attack points.

"I won't let Terror King be destroyed! Reveal trap card, Shattering Fist! This will destroy your monster and break it down into the original components, namely those two pathetic muses!" Muse of Chaos exploded, and the two original toga wearing monsters appeared in crouching positions.

_'That was the perfect chance to gain the lead…and now it's gone.'_ With no other cards that he could play, Drake had absolutely no choice but to end his turn. Still he felt odd, as if there was something wrong here.

Guy drew, and then since Muse of Chaos had returned his Terror King to two thousand, he had Infernal Queen boost him back up to three thousand. "Now, I activate Queen's Wrath! This card can only activate when Infernal Queen is in play. I draw one card, and she can activate her effect a second time!"

Now it was her turn to gain power again, jumping back up to nineteen hundred. It wasn't horribly impressive, but it was good enough for what needed to be done. "Now my royal couple will slay your two pathetic monsters, clearing the way for your imminent destruction!"

Under the assault of the two demons, Drake's spellcasters were easily destroyed. That left him with absolutely nothing on his field against Guy's two powerful monsters. "Go ahead and draw, not like anything you get can save you."

Drake pulled the card off his deck, and smiled slightly. "I bet to differ. Let me briefly reintroduce Muse of Light and Muse of Darkness, because they become offerings from the grave in order to allow me to special summon a trump of mine. Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000) in defense mode!"

The gray skinned black-clad sorcerer formed, his arms wrapped around himself protectively. Guy looked at it him oddly, apparently unaware of its ability. "By sacrificing its attack for the turn, I can risk it all! Chaos Sorcerer, banish Terror King from the game!"

A burst of chaotic energy shot from the sorcerer's hands, right at the demon. However, Terror King produced his die and tossed it on the ground. "I need a two or a five, and then I can blow away your monster completely!"

Guy's confidence was shattered when the die rolled and landed face-up on a six. With nothing else in play, he was forced to watch as his Terror King reversed colors, and then vanished from existence. "You…you'll pay for that! Infernal Queen Archfiend(2900/1500) with her newest boost will now kill Chaos Sorcerer!"

She slashed him in half with her claws, once again leaving Drake's field empty. Guy shook his head and drew a card. "Sorry, almost forgot to draw that turn. Now, since I've already gotten the rest of it out of the way, I'm done."

Once again, Drake was top decking. But that didn't matter, because the card he saw was definitely a top deck. "I play Monster Returned, which lets me special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) from out of play!"

The leather-clad monster appeared again, and slammed the butt of his staff against the ground. Just as before a card popped out of Drake's graveyard and he caught it. "Now, Monster Reborn brings back Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000)!"

Guy's eyes widened as he realized what this could mean. His only card on the field was his powerful Infernal Queen Archfiend, but he had no traps whatsoever. "Chaos Sorcerer, looks like this comes to luck again. Banish Infernal Queen!"

The queen threw out her die, but like her husband before her it didn't land on a two or a five. Instead it landed on a four, which did absolutely nothing for it. The queen faded away, just as her husband had, leaving Guy's field empty. "Black Magician of Chaos, direct attack with Chaos Scepter Blast!"

A sphere of chaos energy collided with Guy's chest, hurling him several feet backwards. He caught himself before he could fall, and the damage was immediately healed by the power of Blood. "So you finally really damage me huh? A bit late in the game for that." (GLP: 300)

Since he had no more cards in his hand, Drake's turn was over. He just had to hope that Guy couldn't summon anything with over twenty-three hundred attack in the next turn, or he was finished.

Guy slid a card off his deck, and after a quick glance at it he placed it onto the plate of his duel disk. "First I set a monster in defense mode." A horizontal card appeared in front of him.

"Next I activate the continuous magic card Misty Altar! In three more turns its effect will activate and place a ritual card from my deck into my hand. During those three turns Misty Altar cannot be destroyed. End!" A massive golden altar now stood behind him, gifting him with a potential ritual.

Drake knew he had to finish his opponent off quickly, so he immediately pointed at the set monster after drawing. "Chaos Sorcerer, attack it!" A burst of energy struck the monster, but it remained to Drake's surprise.

"Worthless attack. You hit Spirit Reaper(300/300) who can't be destroyed in battle. Got anything else you'd like to do?" Drake looked down at his drawn card at this to see if he had any other options. What he saw made him berate himself again.

_'I made the same mistake I did earlier in the game…I just drew Swords of Revealing Light. Had I played it I would have flipped Spirit Reaper face-up, allowing me to remove it with Chaos Sorcerer and go direct with Black Magician of Chaos for the win. Instead I rushed in recklessly like an amateur and accomplished nothing because of it.'_

He frowned and shook his head, indicating that his turn was finished. Playing Swords of Revealing Light at this juncture would be completely pointless. "It's your turn Guy."

Guy slid a card off his deck, and then smirked at what he saw. "Time…kind of important isn't it? I play Time Jump, speeding up the turn count of the duel by three, instantly activating the effect of Misty Altar!"

Drake frowned, realizing that he had once again made another mistake. Had he activated Swords of Revealing Light, even the use of Time Jump would have just made it the final turn for Swords. Guy wouldn't have been able to attack with whatever ritual monster he summoned.

The altar faded away, and a card ejected from his deck and into his hand. "Now, I play the ritual I just searched for. Contract with the Dark Master! By offering up the level eight Berserk Dragon(3500/0) from my hand I can special summon Dark Master-Zorc(2700/1500)!"

The demon that was formed stood roughly nine feet in height, with dark purple skin. It had spikes coming out of its shoulders, and horns framing its head along with shaggy green hair. In one hand it held an organic looking sword, and behind it spread out were leathery red wings. "This monster, he's one of my personal favorites. So it's time to activate his effect! Doom Dice Roll!"

Using its left hand, the demon produced a pitch black die. Immediately it tossed it onto the ground, where it bounced and rolled. As it did so, Guy began to explain. "Once per turn Zorc lets me roll a die. If the result is a one or two, I destroy all monsters on your field. If it's a three, four, or five, I can kill one monster on your field. A six on the other hand kills all of my monsters. So let's see what I got!"

The die finished its rolling, and was revealed as showing…a one. "Goodbye monsters!" Both of Drake's monsters shattered like bubbles pricked by needles. That left Drake's field completely open.

Drake stared at Zorc, barely able to understand what was about to happen. Guy smirked and pointed at him, and Zorc leveled his sword. "Dark Master-Zorc, attack him directly!"

Zorc made a sweeping motion with his sword, and an invisible attack struck Drake, creating a ragged wound across his chest which blossomed with his crimson blood. Drake stumbled backwards, and then recovered, staring ahead at Guy. "I…lost?" (DLP: 0)

Guy smirked as the darkness faded away, leaving them in the middle of the street once again. "Yeah, you weren't as tough as you are on TV and things like that. Guess you aren't all you're cracked up to be. But now, just like my backer said, I have to punish you and make sure you can't duel."

He walked up to Drake, and grabbed the cards out of Drake's duel disk and shoved them into his pocket. "You won't need these, because the punishment I choose is that you can never duel again so long as you live. Guess you were right, you don't deserve to be happy."

Chuckling happily, Guy walked off, Drake's cards and pride in his pocket. Drake stared after him, and then dropped to his knees in the middle of the street. "Now…I've truly lost everything haven't I?"

The wind blowing across the asphalt was the only answer the world chose to give him.

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Author's Notes: More on that when we return from these commercials.

_Next Time: Drake has been defeated, and with that lose comes his inability to duel. While Drake deals with this newest blow, the rest of the group begin to walk the path towards stopping the Apocalypse. First Ryu and Autumn must contact people around the world with magic, which may prove more difficult than they would have guessed._

_See it all in,_ _Walkabout!_

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Yeah, the end of the world is a big party favor.

The White Mage: Yep, poor Drake, poor Kirani. Whichever.

The White Mage: Poor Kirani? Your logic for that one escapes me. Weren't you hoping for her to die just a chapter ago?

WolfGeneral: Perfectly understandable.


	11. Walkabout

Author's Note: Stuff!

**Chapter Ten: Walkabout**

Ryu flopped down on Autumn's couch, and she gave him an annoyed look in return. "We're supposed to be searching out people with magic and telling them to look out for hot spots of darkness, not relaxing."

He shrugged and almost offhandedly grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. "Yeah, but it's really not as difficult to start out with as you seem to think. We already know a bunch of magical people who aren't part of this group."

She raised an eyebrow, not seeing what he was getting at. "Oh? Who might these mystery people be? I don't remember that many people we know, non-evil ones at least, who can use magic."

He smirked and tossed her the magazine he had been reading. "Let's start with the obvious. Take a look at page thirty-one."

Frowning, Autumn flipped the magazine over, revealing it as an issue of Duelist Monthly, the previous month's issue. Just like he said, she searched through it until she came to a the page he had mentioned. "Yugi Moto, one of the world's best duelists, will be having his deck put on display at Seto Kaiba's Duelist Academy this month…"

She sighed and sat down next to him, then chucked the magazine in his face. "Okay, so Yugi _was_ obvious. Got anybody else in mind?"

He grinned; satisfied that he had one-upped her. "A few more, yeah. Mai Valentine, Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Joey Wheeler, Seto Kaiba, Raphael, Amelda, and Varon for starters. Pegasus J. Crawford can be thrown in there as well, along with Ryou Bakura."

"And what makes you think most of them have magic? Bakura and Pegasus I get, because they had Millennium Items. The rest…I don't see how you got those." She was instantly irritated by the smug and superior look that surfaced on his face as she revealed that she didn't get it.

"Well, it's pretty simple. From what Drake told us there was a test, where you had to be accepted by a fragment of the Orichalcos in order to gain its power. People couldn't just have been accepted because of darkness in their hearts, otherwise anyone could use it. So by my thinking it's likely that it requires magic to use. Which also rules in all those weirdoes who used it while working for Eikyuu." She frowned, but couldn't see a flaw in that logic.

"Okay, so we look for those people first. But that hardly does much. That's only a dozen or so. We need a lot more people than that to do any slowing down." In response to her question he hopped off the couch and walked out of the room.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" She followed him as he walked through her apartment, finally stopping in her room. She was about to protest, but he sat down at her computer before she could say a word.

"We can find more people using the best magic ever invented. The internet. I've used it to look for information on magical stuff before, and I know that there a lot of people on the net with experience or knowledge about supernatural stuff. We're bound to find a bunch of magical people if we just use the internet." Once again Autumn was almost shocked by the simplistic but well thought out plan.

"Well, we can put some stuff out on the internet easy. But…how do we convince people like Weevil, Rex, and the Doom Soldiers to help out? I mean, those Doom guys were trying to undo the Earth, not save it." In response, Ryu looked up from the computer and at her, raising one clenched fist.

"If we have to, we'll use force. Now, let's get to work."

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Drake stopped in the alley, staring at it as if he had been here before. It took him several seconds to realize that he had in fact been here before. _'This is where I was first rescued by Yumi and the rest of the gang. Had it been anyone else…maybe I wouldn't be here today.'_

Slowly his gaze drifted to the DD2 that was strapped to his arm, and most importantly to the empty deck slot. He had gotten this duel disk when Battle City was announced, and he had never bothered to upgrade. He had a DD3 in storage, and could technically get any model he wanted as a Kaiba Corp. employee, but he hadn't wanted to. He liked the DD2…but now it was a mute point. "I can't duel again but…that's not the answer I need is it?"

Pressing a button at the base of the disk, he loosened it and slipped it off his arm. Taking in a deep breath he knelt and placed it down on the ground in front of him. Here in this place where his blood had been long since absorbed into the pavement was the perfect place.

"That man, he gave me an answer without realizing. It's not that I can't duel ever again…no, it's a choice I have to make. And my choice…" He paused, still looking at his DD2. This was an important moment for him.

"I will never duel again, because that is my choice."

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Ryu and Autumn so far had been at a total loss for locating the Doom Soldiers. They knew where most of the others were, not including the duelists who had worked for Eikyuu. Already they had put information out on various sites on the internet, hoping to get in touch with people with magic from different parts of the world.

"You've Got Mail!" Immediately Ryu clicked on the link, taking him to his e-mail homepage. The message was prominently displayed, and to his irritation it was in a very vocal manner.

Defying all logic there was a cartoon rabbit running around on his screen, speaking to him in a sing-song voice. "E-mail for Ryu-boy, E-mail for Ryu-boy, E-mail for Ryu-boy!"

In an effort to forestall the irritation, he clicked on it, and the message displayed itself for him. "Hey Autumn, we just got an e-mail from Pegasus. Damned if I know how he has my e-mail address, but it's from him nonetheless."

Autumn walked back into the room and sat down on a chair next to them, leaning in read it. Just in case she was having trouble seeing it with him in the way, Ryu read it out loud. "Dear Ryu-boy. It has recently come to my attention that you are seeking magically inclined people in order to prevent this dreadful coming apocalypse. With my vast resources, I should be able to speed this process along. First you'll have to come to my private island to meet with me to discuss the terms of this arrangement. Bring whoever you'd like along. Oh, and do be a good boy and bring your dueling deck."

He sighed, shaking his head as soon as he finished reading it. "Damn it…that guy is just as eccentric as everybody says he is. A dancing bunny? To hell with it, his resources would really help us. And he's instructions here saying we'll be met at the airport tonight if we want to go. What do you say Autumn?"

She took a moment to think it over and then finally came to a decision. "It looks like we're going to Duelist Kingdom!"

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At eight of the same night the two duelists found their way to Domino City Airport, where three men in suits were waiting to usher them onto a private plan. Ryu was quite happy to have the star treatment, because he hadn't gotten a chance to do anything like this in ages.

The jet was relatively small, but filled with all the amenities that any superstar might want. Of course this was because Pegasus was one of the richest people on the planet. A lot of people questioned who this was, since he was simply an artist and creator of a widely popular card game.

Those people failed to take in account that Industrial Illusions didn't only produce Duel Monsters, they also produced hundreds of other games, ranging from cards games to arcade games. In addition, billions of dollars were spent on Duel monsters each year by the populace of the world, making it the best selling game in the world. It was no wonder that Pegasus was rich enough to have his own private island, castle included.

It was a few hours later they jet landed on a private landing pad on Pegasus' castle. They exited the jet, and to their surprise found Pegasus waiting for them. "Welcome my honored guests to my humble abode. Please, make yourself at home. Would you like some wine? Cheese perhaps? Biscuits? And believe me; you'll never believe that it's not butter I put on those things as delicious as they taste."

The two of them grimaced, not really amused by the eccentric multi-billionaire's attitude. "We'll come along, but we do have to get to the point sooner or later. The fate of the world could be resting on us."

Pegasus just chuckled, waving them along as if he hadn't a care in the world. They followed him deep into his castle, finally stopping at a position that overlooked a giant pit. Having never been there before, neither of them knew what this was. "Now, I believe you mentioned wanting to get down to business. First, I have to know if the people I'm dealing with are capable of protecting themselves, let alone the world."

Ryu understood immediately what he meant. "So basically you want a duel, to see just how tough we are. Fine, I'll accept your challenge. Yugi may have been the only person to have ever beaten you, but I'll make sure I'm the second!"

Minutes later they were standing at opposite ends of the pit, Ryu looking very confused. "Okay, so ummm…now what?"

"Just watch. I loved having this built, just for the finalists of Duelist Kingdom." He clapped his hands together, and the floor started to roll out. To Ryu's absolute astonishment it was quickly revealed as a dueling platform, and each duelist was now standing in front of the playing field.

Pegasus grinned, obviously happy with Ryu's reaction. "Well Ryu-boy, would you care to take the first move, or should I?" (PLP: 4000)

Ryu placed his deck down in the appropriate spot, and then picked up six cards, fanning them out to let him see what they were. "You know, I think I'll start us off, just so you can see what you're up against." (RLP: 4000)

He looked over his hand, trying to figure out what to do. He honestly didn't have a clue what sort of strategy Pegasus used, as he had never heard. All he knew was that this was a guy who Yugi, one of the world's strongest duelists, had barely managed to defeat. _'Okay…so I can't be reckless against him. I have to play smart.'_

"I start by summoning Dragon Egg(0/500) in defense mode. Then I set one magic or trap card face down, and end my turn." To his surprise instead of appearing as holographic projections they merely appeared as glowing lights on the field. He had almost forgotten what it was like to duel on a platform instead of using a duel disk.

Pegasus smiled in a delighted manner, his silvery hair framing his face as he drew. "Oh deary me, what a dreadful hand. I suppose all I can do is set this monster in defense mode. Your turn Ryu."

Ryu frowned, pretty sure he was being toyed with. _'He knows the effect of Dragon Egg, he created the damned thing. So he's not going to attack and trigger it unless he wants to. Which means…I'll just have to come to him!'_

"Fine, if you won't attack, then I will! I summon Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600) in attack mode! Then I activate Dragon's Lore, which lets me draw a card whenever a dragon destroys a monster. So, Sapphire Dragon attacks!" His jeweled dragon launched a wave of blue flame, which destroyed the set monster.

"Oh dear, you destroyed my Sangan(1000/600). But luckily for me that means I get to add a brand new monster from my deck to my hand, provided it has fifteen hundred or less attack. Is there anything else you wanted to do?" Ryu drew a new card in response, and then shook his head.

Pegasus casually drew another card, giving him seven total cards thanks to Sangan's effect. "Still not good enough. Ah, I know, I'll activate Tiny Pound Hammer and shuffle it and five other cards back into my deck."

Using the effect of his card he shuffled and redrew a brand new hand, except for one card from the old hand that remained. "Oh well, still not that good. I set a monster in defense mode and one magic or trap card. End turn."

Again it was Ryu's turn, and he was beginning to be a little frustrated. Either Pegasus really was getting bad hands, or he was messing around with him. "I summon Ruby Dragon(1600/1400) in attack mode!"

A red colored dragon, otherwise identical to Sapphire Dragon, now joined its brethren. "Ruby Dragon attacks the set monster!"

A cackling jar appeared and shattered, laughing as it was blown away. "Oh, truly a pity. You destroyed Morphing Jar(700/700) so now we both discard our hands and draw new hands of five cards."

Ryu grimaced and tossed out his hand of cards, then snapped another five cards off his deck. Pegasus really must be desperate if everything he had done so far had been for new hands. "You'll regret my new hand, because I now also get a new card thanks to Dragon's Lore, giving me six cards to defeat you with."

"Oh? Does that mean my Null and Void trap card does nothing? Or are all those cards sent to the grave?" He snarled as he was forced to toss out his entire hand, leaving him with only those cards he had on the field.

"Either way, you're still open for a direct attack by Sapphire Dragon. Take a bite out of his life points!" Sapphire Dragon started to move, and then stopped, looking down at its feet. To Ryu's surprise a big bear trap was clamped around its leg.

Pegasus smiled and picked up one of the cards he had tossed out. "I discarded Sinister Bear Trap, which lets me remove it from the grave to negate an attack and draw cards equal to half the attacking monster's level. Which is two."

With no other possible moves he could make, Ryu was forced to end his turn. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this duel. Like he was outclassed by a lot. _'I can't give in, I have to win this!'_

The experienced game creator fanned out the eight cards he was now holding, looking almost amused as he saw what he had. "Well, I suppose I should start playing for real now, right? Activate magic card, Plummeting Safe!"

From the sky came a massive safe, which hit Sapphire Dragon and crushed it into the ground. Seconds later the door to the safe popped open, revealing the Sapphire Dragon with its eyes all swirly. "What the heck does this do?"

"Plummeting Safe destroys one monster on the opponent's field, but instead of going to the grave it returns to their deck. However, whenever it is drawn in the draw phase it is reshuffled back into the deck." Ryu grimaced but complied, returning his Sapphire Dragon to his deck. He could still grab it using Ruby Dragon's effect if he wanted.

"Now, I'll play Instant Replay to use Plummeting Safe again, this time on Ruby Dragon." Once more the act was repeated, getting rid of Ryu's Ruby Dragon. And he had to shuffle that monster back into his deck.

"I'll continue by playing Repeat Performance, which lets me activate the effect of one normal magic card I've played this turn. So Plummeting Safe does its job against Dragon Egg as well." Ryu ground his teeth together as his final monster was also returned to his deck.

Pegasus smirked, knowing that all that stood between him and Ryu's life points was a single face down card. "Oh my little combo is far from over. I play Reward of Reload. If cards were shuffled into either player's deck during this turn, those cards are placed on top of the deck. So your three dragons come back to you."

The dragon user realized quickly what this meant as he placed the three dragons on top of his deck. His next draw would be one of them, and it would be shuffled back into his deck. That meant his next turn he would be stuck with nothing to play. _'That proves it, I really am outclassed here.'_

Autumn was having similar thoughts herself, not sure what to make of the situation. Pegasus was really good, he was quickly proving that. The question was, could Ryu stand up to him. _'Come on Ryu, I know you can fight back!"_

Since it was still Pegasus' turn, Ryu knew he had a lot to worry about. Whatever other strategies the game creator had in mind, they would probably also be just as deadly. "Ah, here we go. I summon Funny Bunny(1300/1200) in attack mode. He attacks directly."

The same purple rabbit that had been in his e-mail was now on the field, and it was charging directly towards him. Ryu glanced at his set card, but realized now wasn't the best time to use it. So instead he was hit by the attack. "And when Funny Bunny does life point damage, I draw two cards." (RLP: 2700)

After a quick glance at the drawn cards, Pegasus slid them into his duel disk, giving his bunny a little bit of a defense, just in case Ryu managed to pull something off. "Your turn Ryu-boy."

He drew, and flipped over Dragon Egg, which he shuffled back into his deck. "Since I've got no cards in my hand, I have to end my turn."

Pegasus glanced down at his drawn card, and smiled immediately. "Perfect, just what I was waiting for. Now the real duel can begin. I play Toon World, and this little theme park has an entrance fee of a thousand life points." (PLP: 3000)

A green bordered book appeared on his field, and its pages flipped open, drawing Funny Bunny in. It popped out again, but looked exactly the same. "Funny Bunny is a unique monster in that he's already a cartoon, so he doesn't change much when Toon World is used. However, he gains some additional powers. Direct attack."

Another series of blows landed, but because it wasn't the duel disk system Ryu didn't feel anything. The blows weren't even on him at all. However, the damage dealt to his life points was as substantial as anything else. "And of course I get to draw two cards since Funny Bunny dealt damage to your life points." (RLP: 1400)

He looked the cards over and grinned slightly, before slapping one of them down. "I summon Toon Masked Sorcerer(900/1400) in attack mode! Just like Funny Bunny, as long as Toon World is in play he can attack directly. End turn."

Ryu took a deep breath, and then snatched a new card off his deck. "Okay, tiem for a little defense. I summon Carbonedon(900/600) in defense mode!" A grey skinned monster with spines on its back appeared, its arms wrapped around itself protectively.

He nodded to Pegasus, since that was the only move he could make for right now. The game's creator smiled and drew his card, looking quite happy about what he saw out of the five cards he held. "Ooo, I'll enjoy this, but you won't. You see, since they can be special summons, I summon two Twin Gemini Elves(1900/900) in attack mode!"

He slapped two more cards from his hand down on the field, and two pairs of female elves appeared, only they were distinctively distorted and cartoonish. "Feel lucky that these monsters can't attack during the turn they are summoned. However…Funny Bunny, direct attack!"

The cartoon rabbit leaped over the head of his monster to land solid blows on Ryu. But it jumped away, having accomplished nothing. "Sorry Pegasus, my continuous trap card stops you. Spirit Barrier works whenever I have a monster on the field, and all life point damage from battle to me is zero. So direct attacks won't work."

Pegasus shrugged as if it were no consequence. "Well then, I suppose I'll just have to make it possible to deal damage. Toon Masked Sorcerer destroys Carbonedon." A blast from the cartoon magician did in Ryu's only monster easily.

A quick wave of his hand showed Ryu that Pegasus was done. And now it was his turn to see if he could make a recovery. "Okay Pegasus, my soul and life may not be riding on this duel, but I don't intend to lose. My turn, draw!"

He immediately snapped the card up to show it to Pegasus. It revealed a magic card depicting a kingly figure handing bags loaded with gold to a peasant. "King's Ransom activates! At a cost of one thousand life points I can now draw four cards!" (RLP: 400)

Fanning out the four brand new cards, he came to a conclusion. "Okay, it's clobbering time! I summon Pitch-Dark Dragon(900/600)! Next up, Stamping Destruction!" The massive and hideous black dragon slammed its foot down towards Toon World, intent on destroying.

Pegasus shook a finger, chuckling as one of his face down cards revealed itself. "Now now, you should know better than to destroy such a wonderful place as a world of Toons. Magic Jammer costs a single discard, but negates your magic card."

Ryu smirked to Pegasus' great surprise. "Actually, I was pretty much expecting something like that. Go, Dragon's Explosive Rage! This lets me sacrifice a dragon on my field to destroy two magic or trap cards on your field!"

Pitch-Dark Dragon's roared and flew directly at Pegasus, exploded just meters away from him. The detonation filled his side of the field with smoke, and when it cleared the only monster in play was Funny Bunny.

"You nearly cleared my field completely, but unfortunately it cost you almost all your life points and all but one card from your hand. What more can you do?" Ryu looked up at Autumn briefly, and then slapped his final card down onto the platform.

"Tribute for Greed activates! By sacrificing cards on my field I can draw one card for each, so I tribute Dragon's Lore and Spirit Barrier to draw two cards!" His two face-up cards shattered, and he slid two more cards off his deck.

Pegasus' visible eye widened, surprised by this sudden display of power. _'Is this Ryu's true power?'_

"Pegasus, you're a truly skilled duelist, but I have no intention of being extinguished here! Like a burning star I'll rise and meet my friends at the tip of the sky as a true duelist! Go, Brain Control!" Funny Bunny slid over to him, and looked at Pegasus apologetically.

"Oh it's alright my little fellow. Go ahead, I'm not bothered." Funny Bunny giggled, giving Ryu pause. The fact that it responded at all seemed odd, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

"Funny Bunny, attack him directly!" The cartoon rabbit launched its attack, reducing Pegasus' life points and putting him on more of a level with Ryu. But still, Ryu was far behind in life points. (PLP: 1700)

"Next up, I draw two cards because of Funny Bunny's effect. In combination with that I play Dragon Horde, which lets me remove one dragon from the grave whenever I draw cards in order to draw two more!" He picked up Pitch-Dark Dragon and placed it in the removed from play pile. Then he drew four cards total.

"Quick-play magic card, Shards of the Dragon Treasure! This magic card works if I have a dragon in my out of play pile. I can now choose a magic card from my deck and add it to my hand, as long as it relates to dragons." He flipped through his deck until he found the card he wanted, and placed it in his hand.

"Second quick-play magic card activates, Dragon Dream! By discarding a dragon from my hand I can special summon a dragon from the removed from play pile to the field!" Pitch-Dark Dragon emerged as Ryu slid a card from his hand into the grave.

Pegasus eyed him curious, impressed by the display but not quite sure what Ryu was getting at. "All this card drawing and comboing is impressive, but what's the purpose? Another nine hundred points of damage?"

Ryu smirked and pointed at his field, which suddenly started glowing. "Actually, since you created the card you should know what Carbonedon does. And now…I just put the tenth card on top of it. So by removing it from the graveyard I can special summon Diamond Dragon(2100/2800) to the field in attack mode!"

The game creator's eye widened in amazement, realizing exactly what Ryu had just intended to accomplish. "Very impressive…you special summoned out your dragons while it was still the battle phase, and since my field is empty, you can defeat me."

"Damn right! Diamond Dragon, attack him directly with Diamond Burst!" The towering silvery dragon raised its horned head and sprayed shards of diamond at Pegasus, slamming into the holographic barrier that separated the monsters from the duelists.

To Ryu's surprise his opponent merely smiled and picked up another card from his grave. "You didn't think I discarded so many cards just to get a better hand did you? False Hopes activates from my graveyard and negates one attack on my life points, destroying the attacker."

Diamond Dragon faded away, leaving just Pitch-Dark Dragon on Ryu's field. He grimaced and pointed at Pegasus, still determined to have a go at it. "Pitch-Dark Dragon, direct attack!" (PLP: 800)

"Now, I set these last two cards from my hand face down, and end my turn." With that one motion he emptied his hand, despite knowing that if Pegasus drew something with thirteen hundred or more attack points, he could be finished off.

Pegasus slid a card off his deck, giving him a total of three cards to combat what Ryu had in play. "First of all, I play Remove Brainwashing, returning Funny Bunny to me. Then Funny Bunny attacks."

"Reveal continuous trap card, Damage Splitter! This cuts all damage I receive in half for as long as it's in play!" Pitch-Dark Dragon was blown away, but it wasn't enough to finish him off despite that. (RLP: 200)

According to Funny Bunny's effect, Pegasus drew another two cards. "That's understandable. I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Ryu flipped up his face down card as soon as he drew. "Villager's Offering lets me destroy one monster on the opponent's field to act as a tribute, so I sacrifice Funny Bunny for Emerald Dragon(2400/1400)!" The green dragon descended and roared, shaking the field.

"Emerald Burst!" Pegasus shrugged and flipped up one of his face down cards. Immediately three robed priests appeared to block the priests.

"Since Waboku blocked the damage and you have no more cards, I get to draw. Let's see what I get." He drew again, and smiled slightly at whatever he saw. It would be perfect.

"I activate Scapegoat, producing four goat tokens. Then I end my turn." Four multi-colored goats now provided a defense between him and Ryu's powerful dragon.

"Go magic card, Gem Fabrication! By paying half my life points I can special summon two jeweled dragons from my hand, cemetery, or deck to the field." He slipped two more cards out of his deck and then threw them down. (RLP: 100)

"Crystal Dragon(2500/1900) and Bloodstone Dragon(2900/1600)!" Two massive shapes formed next to his Emerald Dragon. One with a body of white crystal, while the other had a red and black body, and blood red evil eyes.

"I attack with all three of my monsters to blow away three of your Scapegoats!" Three of the measly defenders were burned to ash, leaving one very shocked looking pink goat. Instead of having its eyes closed and asleep its eyes were now wide open and staring at the three dragons in horror.

Ryu nodded to Pegasus, confident that he could handle this duel. There was just a very meager barrier between him and Pegasus now. All he had to do was break that down and he would be able to win the duel. "Go ahead Pegasus, let's take this duel to its final stage."

Pegasus sighed, and drew. "Yes Ryu-boy, it is time to end this duel. You managed to defeat Toon World, which is impressive, but that's not my full strength. I like to call my deck a Toon Control Deck. And now, it's over."

He reached down and picked up his set card, holding it up to him. It looked like a person mutating or something, Ryu didn't recognize it. "This card is called Metamorphosis, and it requires that I sacrifice a monster. In exchange I can special summon a fusion monster from my fusion deck with an equal level. I sacrifice my Goat Token."

Ryu looked at him like he was crazy. "But Goat Tokens are level one monsters. I can't even think of a single level one fusion monster, and I don't see how one could be a threat to my monsters in the first place."

"You're mistaken. There is one level one fusion in the game. Meet my deadliest monster, Thousand-Eyes Restrict(0/0)!" Ryu and Autumn stared at the beast in horror as it appeared. It was big, but not on the level with his monsters. However, it was a hideous beast with eyes peaking out all over it, its body absolutely disgusting.

"As long as Thousand-Eyes Restrict is in play your monsters will be paralyzed by its gaze, and prevented from attacking or switching modes. In addition I can use its ultimate ability. Absorb Bloodstone Dragon." A maw on the creature opened up, and the evil dragon roared as it was sucked in.

One of the "wings" of the fusion monster lowered, showing the head of Bloodstone Dragon jutting out. Ryu stared at the head of his monster in disgust. "What…what have you done to it?"

"Thousand-Eyes Restrict can absorb monsters, placing them as equip cards on him. Now, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, use your siphoned power and destroy Emerald Dragon." The jutting dragon's head opened up its mouth and sprayed out fire, swarming over Emerald Dragon and vaporizing it. (RLP: 0)

The field faded away, leaving a very shocked Ryu staring at Pegasus. "You…won. Even after all my words and my efforts, you still beat me. I guess I'm not as strong as I need to be after all."

Pegasus smiled, and started clapping. "Oh you may have lost, but it's been quite some time since I've had such a challenge, or such a fun duel. You have to remember that I'm one of the game's monster notorious players for a reason, and only a few people have ever beaten me. But, with a little bit of work, you could surpass me, I can see that."

Ryu stared down at his cards, thinking hard about his most recent defeat. Over the years he had lost many times, to many different duelists. He had also won a number of duels, but the defeats still weighed on him more heavily. The last significant duel he had been in he had lost, just like he had now.

His right hand clenched as the images of those defeats flashed through his mind. _'This time though, I can't afford to lose. If I'm going to help protect the world, then I absolutely cannot accept defeat. I will get stronger, no matter what!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And onwards we march.

_Next Time: While Ryu and Autumn work with Pegasus to contact people around the world with magic, the others are still busy. The man posing as Drake, the man who is all of his darkest aspects, now heads to Spain to gain a legendary item. But what will happen if a creature of evil gets a hold of this item?_

_See it all in,_ _Dead Men Tell Tales!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: Guy is skilled, but more on Ryu's level than anything else. And it was depression.

G.O.T. Nick: You'll see sooner or later.

WolfGeneral: Yeah, he isn't good anything good.

The White Mage: I do so because it is necessary for reasons I cannot explain.


	12. Dead Men Tell Tales

Author's Note: Evil stuff!

**Chapter Eleven: Dead Men Tell Tales**

"Hey, where do you bury your royalty?" A curious look was all he got before the other man walked away. That had been the fifteenth one today, and it didn't seem to be getting any easier.

The man who was all negative aspects of Daisuke Ihachi, who still continued to call himself Drake, was starting to get annoyed. "Fuck, this is just annoying. I should have grabbed a Spanish book, these damn Europeans don't know a lick of Japanese. Ain't even civilized people if you can't speak the lingo."

It barely occurred to him that his walking around in the heat of Spanish weather wearing a long black sleeveless trench coat and not sweating an ounce made him seem even more out of place than he already was as an Asian in Spain. "Damn it, how the hell am I supposed to figure this shit out if nobody understands me?"

He strolled down the street, his muttering and cursing in Japanese frightening those people who passed him in the street. He paused as he felt a pulse of energy, and then excited shouts. "Hmmm, I wonder what's going on."

Following the shouts of excitement he reached a park that anybody would have considered beautiful, as it faced a large ancient fountain. Of course his attention wasn't on that, but rather a duel that was occurring in the park. "This'll be lame, a couple of wimps dueling. And I won't even be able to understand what they say!"

The two duelists, one in everyday clothes and the other dressed in a much fancier outfit, including a red cape and a wide-brimmed hat, were facing off. The regular looking fellow had a Berserk Gorilla(2000/1000) on the field as well as a face down card. The opponent just had one face down card.

The first man called out what was an obvious declaration of attack in Spanish, and Berserk Gorilla rushed in. His opponent smiled dashingly and pointed to his face down card, and spouted off a long string of words in what sounded like a show-offy tone. When the set card revealed itself, Drake couldn't help but chuckle. "Zero Gravity eh? And since Berserk Gorilla is forced into defense mode…it explodes."

The beast monster did exactly that, bursting into thousands of pieces, leaving nothing left. Since that monster had been his summon for the turn, he was done, and his opponent drew. Again the man spouted some cheesy sounding lines in that same cocky tone, and held up his drawn card, revealing a Cyclone magic card. "Goodbye defense. Hell, this guy doesn't seem half bad."

Next the fancy looking fellow threw down a monster card and a demon riding an armored horse rode out, its attack reading at a steady sixteen hundred. More bullshit spouted by the man, and then his monster charged in, bowling over the first man easily. "Ooo, and the loser bites the dust." (LP: 2400)

The fancy man finished his turn by setting a card, and then gestured in a placating manner to his opponent, who drew furiously. In an enraged tone the man slammed his new card onto his duel disk, and what looked like a Battle Ox(1700/1000) was summoned. Not having seen the card itself, Drake couldn't tell if it was the original or the Enraged version. "Bah, either way it's not worth the time it takes to draw it."

Before the man could even declare an attack, the second duelist revealed his face down card, a Raigeki Break. He discarded one card from his hand, and the minotaur was blown away. Growling in irritation the man slid another card onto his duel disk and finished his turn.

Once again the cocky duelist drew, and held up a new magic card. A wave of ice flowed out of it, covering up the set card, and Drake understood. "A Cold Wave huh? Looks like this duel is over."

The cocky duelist tossed out another of the horse riding demons, and declared an attack. The two demons smashed into the other duelist, and he was tossed to the ground. The ground roared at the man's triumph, chanting something. "Emilio! Emilio! Emilio!" (LP: 0)

Choosing to switch to English, Drake stepped up where the fallen duelist had been. He glanced over his shoulder and in English scorned the fallen duelist. "Hey weakling, watch close and maybe you'll see how it's really done."

The cocky man chuckled, and reshuffled his deck. Seconds later he spoke in a lilted English. "So, we have another challenge? Well, we are glad to accept, and once again prove the might of Emilio Vimirez, the greatest matador of Spain. Perhaps you will be a worthy opponent for us."

Drake threw back his head and laughed, causing the spectators to look at him like he was crazy. Once he was satisfied with his laughter, he stopped. "You know, you're so cocky with all that third person shit that I think I actually like you. I'm Drake, and I'll be stomping you flat today."

He raised his left arm, and his duel disk unfolded. Immediately his life point counter activated, and he snapped five cards off his deck. "At least I know something I'll get out of this duel. When I win, you'll become my guide in the city." (DLP: 4000)

Emilio laughed airily, not bothered by Drake's confidence in the least. "Another overconfident challenger? Very well, we accept your challenge! However, when you lose you will become our valet for a full week." (ELP: 4000)

Emilio drew his own opening hand, and then calmly gestured to Drake. "Please, we always let the challenger take the first turn. Enjoy your confidence while it lasts Drake."

Drake shrugged, not even bothering to look at his hand. At this point he was more interested in his opponent than in his own hand. His power would win in the end, as it influenced how well he drew. "This duel…it's just so dull as it is. I'll spruce it up with a little darkness."

A black aura flickered around him as a purple fog rolled in around the entire park, and soon it was engulfed in a large black dome. "Welcome to a level five Darkness Game. Here the wagers and the battles are deadlier than anything you've ever faced. And since I've invoked this power, I'll end my turn."

Emilio shivered, his entire body going cold in the strange surroundings. He noticed that the audience seemed to be frozen still, and assumed that it was a holographic effect of the field card his opponent had played. "You'll regret only playing that field card as we attack you directly this turn!"

His opponent just smirked in response. "Very well, if you refuse to respond, I'll take the fight to you. Demon Picador(1600/1400) in attack mode! Direct attack!" The same demon on a horse that he had used in his last duel appeared and rushed at Drake.

Drake smirked and cracked his knuckles, causing a pulse of power. The picador was blasted backwards, causing him to be unharmed. "Don't be stupid, I'm the darkness itself, so I can't be harmed by any creature or effect that uses the power of darkness. Got any other worthless moves?"

Emilio frowned, contemplating the situation. _'That must be the effect of his field card. I suppose that means neither of us will take damage from dark monsters or effects. I have monsters that aren't dark types, so I'll be fine.'_

Sliding a card from his hand face down, Emilio was prepared to take on whatever was thrown at him. "We'll just set one card face down, and pass the turn to you."

Drake drew, and Emilio was surprised to notice that he now had seven cards in his hand. Which left him to wonder about the nature of the field card. _'Can it be played from the deck? That must be it. Truly a unique card then.'_

"Bah, I can see it in your eyes, you assume to fucking much about me. I set one magic or trap card face down. End turn." A single card appeared in front of him, it being the only thing between him and Picador. Although Picador couldn't hurt him.

Emilio threw down his drawn card almost immediately. "Demon Banderillero(900/700) in attack mode. However, since both of our monsters are dark types, we can't really attack can we?"

The other duelist rolled his eyes, and pointed to his face down. "Don't give me that stupid shit. Reveal trap card, Face The Horror! This forces all of the opponent's monsters to attack, and for each monster that fails to deal life point damage, one card in your hand or field will be destroyed."

Demon Picader and Demon Banderillero both launched their attacks, but were blown away by the power Drake displayed. Since they were dark types no damage was done. "Since you couldn't hurt me, you have to choose to either destroy two cards in your hand or two on the field."

The matador frowned, but complied and slid two cards from his hand into his graveyard. He still had two cards he could use at a later date, so he wasn't worried. "End turn."

Drake drew again, and sighed. "I was hoping you'd be a stronger duelist, but so far it looks like you're as weak as most others. Really, I thought I had felt inner strength from you, but I guess I misplaced that power. One card face down, and end turn."

Emilio growled, irritated at how casually his opponent was acting about his skills. He was Spain's best duelist; he wouldn't be mocked like this! "I'll find a way around your field card sooner or later! Until then I summon Demon Bull(1900/1400) in attack mode."

A hideous looking pitch black bull appeared, scrapping its hooves against the ground, snorting as it stared across the field at Drake. But Drake looked less than worried, in fact he was pointed to his set card. "Trap of Darkness lets me pay one thousand life points to activate a trap from my cemetery. So since it's my only trap, I use Face The Horror. Come and get me." (DLP: 3000)

The matador couldn't do anything but watch as his three monsters charged in, just as they had previously. A single pulse of power stopped them in their tracks, just like the past two times. "And of course like last time you have to destroy cards in hand or on your field. What will it be?"

Growling he slid the last two cards in his hand into the grave, and then watched as his set card shattered, leaving him with just three monsters in play. Drake tapped a finger against his chin, smirking. "You were so angry you let the third person slip. Whoops."

Realizing his mistake the matador bit back a snarl, knowing he had to keep his cool against any opponent. Being angry at the bull meant almost certain doom for the matador, while cool focus allowed for continued success. "We end our turn."

"Oh, it's back now. I play Trap Restoration, discarding two traps from my hand to pick a trap card up from the grave. And now I'll set a card face down. End turn." Emilio realized immediately what had just happened. He was in trouble in his next turn, because the set card could only be one thing.

The moment Emilio drew, Drake's face down card was already flipping up. "You saw this coming right? Face The Horror and attack me, and watch your cards come tumbling down!"

He didn't even pay attention as his monsters attacked and failed, as it was the same as before. "This time we allow our three monsters to be destroyed by the effect of your trap card. That leaves us with cards to play."

His three monsters shattered, giving him just one card in his hand to play. "We set one magic or trap card face down. End turn."

Although he had just one card on the field and no monsters, he still wasn't that worried. He still had all his life points, and his opponent apparently didn't have any monsters in his hand.

"You're just as gullible as my previous opponents for the most part. I set one magic or trap card, and end my turn." Emilio didn't understand what Drake was talking about, with being gullible. What wasn't he seeing about this strange duelist?

Slowly Emilio drew, contemplating the situation. "Pot of Greed. We're sure you know what that does." A quick glance told him that the cards weren't supremely effective, but they would do for later. He just needed another card to make the combo work.

He nodded to Drake, knowing that it wasn't worth playing the cards yet, not without the needed piece. But to his surprise Drake chuckled as soon as he ended his turn. "You shouldn't have done that. You activated my continuous trap card, Pain of Neglect. If you fail to summon a monster during your turn you take one thousand damage."

Emilio gasped, feeling a cold hand reach into his chest and squeeze. He dropped to his knees, clutching at his chest as his vision went blurry and his breath shortened. "This…this really is much more real…isn't it?" (ELP: 3000)

Drake smirked, happy that his opponent was finally catching on. "That's right, a Darkness Game isn't a field card, it's an ancient dark magic. Its powers makes this quite realistic. As for the failure to damage me, it's just like I said, since I am the darkness I can't be hurt by darkness. I guess you could say I've become so powerful that my presence is projected as an effect in a duel."

Finally Drake looked down at his drawn card, and placed it amongst his other cards. Next he grabbed the card that was on the far left and slid it onto his field. "Since Pain of Neglect only works against you, I don't have to worry. End turn."

Emilio growled, realizing he would have to at the very least summon a monster, or risk losing a quarter of his life points each turn. "We summon another Demon Picador(1600/1400) to the field!"

"Not a chance. Activate counter trap, Broken Heart! This negates your summon and removes that monster from play." Emilio frowned as the monster he had attempted to summon faded away. And since he was still without the needed card to complete his combo, he had to leave it at that. But that meant he would feel the pain again. (ELP: 2000)

Here he was, Spain's best duelist, and yet he was getting picked apart by this strange Asian duelist. What was worse was that Drake didn't even seem to be trying, and he was still winning. _'What is this person? He's not an average duelist!'_

The sudden dark grin that spread across his opponent's face didn't bode well for her at all. Drake snickered darkly, looking at whatever he had drawn. "Damn, you're lucky that I want you alive, otherwise I'd just use this card I drew."

Emilio shivered, somehow knowing that his opponent wasn't kidding at all. Whatever it was about the card he had drawn, if it was used then Emilio's life wouldn't be worth a Euro. "Since I can't use this card, I'll just set a card face down. End turn."

The moment Emilio drew, he knew he was in trouble. He hadn't drawn a monster, so there was no way he could stop the damage that was coming at the end of the turn. "I…I end my turn."

The hand clenched onto his heart, squeezing it tightly, dropping him to the ground, panting heavily. The pain was so intense that he could barely breathe. _'Is this what dying feels like?' _(ELP: 1000)

Drake sneered as he drew his card, not yet looking at it. "Geez, you're so fucking pathetic! Is this the best that your country has to offer? A pathetic little Matador with no strength at all? Bah, if that's the case then just take your turn and don't make me have to waste any more time!"

Although he could still feel the pain in his chest, Emilio's rage was blacking it out. Never before had he been so insulted, and worst of all his opponent was insulting his home country as well. "I won't waste your time any longer! My draw!"

The dark duelist opposite him smirked, well aware that his plan had worked. The rage Emilio was feeling was drawing out his true strength, and hopefully that would be enough to actually make this duel worth Drake's while. _'This guy better be stronger than he lets on, or I'll kill him straight off.'_

Emilio flipped his drawn card around, revealing a ritual card. "Activate ritual card, Ritual of Calling the Dark Matador! For this ritual to work I must discard six levels worth of monsters, and I discard Ushi Oni!"

Energy swirled around his field, and a tall demonic form with long expansive wings appeared. "Prepare yourself my opponent, for I have called upon the power of Demon Matador(0/0)!"

Drake snickered, not impressed at all. "Oh please, even if that thing had a billion attack points it couldn't hurt me, since it has no attack points. I know that pathetic demon's effect as well, and since I won't be battling it, there won't be any problems."

It was Emilio's turn to smirk confidently as he reached for another of his cards. "Actually, Demon Matador is just the first step in revealing my ultimate monster. Step two requires that I sacrifice Demon Matador, which I will!"

A shaft of light speared through the matador, engulfing it completely. Drake looked on patiently, curious to see what his opponent planned on summoning. "Meet the supreme monster of my deck, Master Matador-Paseo(2000/2000)!"

A tall Spanish man in the clothes of a matador now stood in front of Emilio, flashing a red cape in one hand and a sword in the other. "When Master Matador –Paseo is summoned to the field, all magic and trap cards are destroyed."

The matador flicked his cape, and each of Drake's traps, as well as Emilio's, shattered into dust. "Also, Master Matador-Paseo is a light type monster. Paseo, Slash of the Matador!" Drake didn't even budge as the warrior slashed its sword against his chest, nor was he injured like Emilio had been. (DLP: 1000)

Emilio slid the last card of his hand into the graveyard, and Matador began to glow with intense light. "By discarding one card from my hand when Paseo is my only card on the field I can send the opponent's hand to the grave!"

Drake shrugged and slid his remaining cards into his cemetery slot. "Looks like you're stronger than you appeared at first glance. Good to know, but really, do you think that single monster can possibly stand up to my power?"

"Let's just see shall we? Paseo is far from a weakling, and am I far from being a weakling as well. As long as Paseo is on my field, you can't defeat me, and I'll prove it in this next turn. End!" Paseo made a slashing motion with his sword, grinning confidently as Drake drew.

Emilio pointed to Drake, smirking as he did so. "Paseo's third effect activates now! By paying five hundred life points I can force you to discard the card you drew!" (ELP: 500)

Drake shrugged, and discarded the card to the grave. "So, my hand and field are empty. Guess that means you can finish me off in your turn. Whatever."

The matador snatched a card off his deck, and then made a slashing gesture with his right hand. "For insulting me and my home country I will defeat you utterly! Paseo, attack him directly and win me the duel!"

Paseo charged at Drake to make the final killing blow, but all energy from the building attack was shunted into a metal contraption that floated above Drake. He smirked and held up a trap card that seemed to have come from nowhere. "Negative Energy Decoy activates when I would lose the duel from an instance of damage. That instance is negated. Oh, and it activates from my deck before being removed from the game."

Emilio growled, irritated that it would take three additional strikes to finish his opponent off. "I end my turn."

His opponent slid a card off his deck, not bothering to look at it as he had many times before. "See, just like I thought. You don't have the life points to stop my draw. Now, let me show you that I'm satisfied with your power by giving you a send off!"

He slammed the card into his duel disk without ever having looked at it. "I activate Armageddon Meteor! Normally it deals just one thousand damage, but you forced me to discard a Death Meteor, which changes things. Now since there's one in the grave I can deal you fifteen hundred damage!"

Emilio screamed in horror as a massive meteor emerged from the darkness, vaporizing his monster and exploding directly above him, throwing him to the ground. The impact was enough to knock him out. Drake just smirked, satisfied with the outcome. "No reason to kill you since you're my guide to the city now." (ELP: 0)

He snapped his fingers, banishing the darkness. That left him standing across from Emilio, who was standing up. The crowd stared at them in confusion, not sure what was going on. But they clearly saw that Emilio had been on his knees, and his life points were at zero. Drake turned to face them. "You all! You remember me defeating him right?"

Despite their confusion, they nodded slowly, influenced mostly by wanting to have some explanation in their mind for the strange gap they all had. "Fine, since we've got that out of the way, Emilio, let's get going. I need you to show me how to get somewhere."

To the crowd's surprise the fallen matador rose fully to his feet and started following after the Asian duelist as he departed, his jet black trench coat flaring out behind him. As soon as they were out of ear shot of the crowd, Drake had his first question. "Where would dead royalty be buried in a cathedral here?"

Emilio looked at him like he was strange, but felt like he had to comply to the request for knowledge. Of course he had no idea that he was bound by the rules of the Darkness Game to answer. "Perhaps you mean the Almudena Cathedral? Of course no kings are buried there, but some people joke that the beginning of the project was the signing of Felipe the Second's death warrant."

Drake spun Emilio around and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him close. "Listen here damn it! I don't have time to fucking play around, so tell me some damned cathedral where your royalty would be buried here in Madrid!"

The matador gulped, fearing the enraged look in Drake's eyes. It swore to rip him to pieces if he failed to answer appropriately. "The project of Almudena Cathedral was started by Felipe the Second, but it wasn't completed until the late nineteenth century, and wasn't even christened as the Almudena Cathedral until 1993. There _are_ no cathedrals in Madrid that hold buried royalty!"

Growling Drake tossed him to his left, slamming the matador into the brick wall of the closets building. "There's supposed to be a place where underneath the royalty of Spain are buried, and it's under a cathedral here in Madrid! I know it! So if no royalty are buried under this place, why the fuck did you bring it up?"

Emilio gulped again, trying to speak despite his fear. "But…this is the closest place I can think of. Since it took over two centuries to complete it saw the rise and fall of many kings before its completion. And…and there's a rumor that Felipe the Second wanted it built to pacify the dead below the Earth or something like that. Everyone believed he spoke of pacifying Hell itself!"

Drake released Emilio's shirt, letting the other man drop to the ground. He chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "A place that saw the rise and fall of Spanish royalty, a place said to have been constructed to pacify the dead. Beneath the Earth itself no less. Yes, it all fits together. Emilio, you're going to take me to the Almudena Cathedral, and we're going to go beneath it."

He heard his new lackey stuttering in response, and it was Drake's piercing violet gaze that pacified him. "But, there isn't anything beneath it. It's built on top of solid ground, there aren't any caves or anything below it. Some people even looked, now that I think about it. Probably based on the same rumors you might have heard."

His captor smirked and gestured for Emilio to stand up, which he did. Then Drake looked him right in the eye, and grinned. "There's one difference between me and them. They looked using conventional methods. I'm going to find it with the power of the darkness. If the dead are pacified by its presence, then that means the dead lurk beneath, and that means darkness. I'll use that to find a way in. Now come on and show me how to get there."

Knowing better than to argue, the defeated matador hurried off, hailing a taxi as quickly as he could. The sooner he got this whole crazy experience out of the way the better. He didn't want to have to deal with this lunatic any longer than necessary. _'This guy will be the death of me if I'm not careful.'_

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Anyone else would have been awed into silence by the beauty of the tremendous cathedral that they stood outside of. Drake didn't even seem to notice his surroundings; instead he was wandering around almost randomly, muttering beneath his breath. Emilio fluttered around, trying to be helpful.

"Look, you're not helping me. I can feel a pulsing darkness, but it's being subdued by this damned cathedral. I'd blow the fucking thing out of the way, but that much dark energy would attract unwanted attention. So I'm gonna do this the hard way." Emilio didn't understand, but knew better than to argue.

After several more minutes of wandering around, Drake stopped at a random wall and pressed his hand against it. Dark energy swirled around his outstretched palm, and then there was a crackling of light, white energy sparking out to strike Drake's hand. He jerked it back, grinning. "Just like I thought, I found one of the key points in the seal this place has."

Again he reached out his hand, but this time when he hit a glowing barrier he pressed his hand hard up against it, and the side of the wall started glowing. To Emilio's shock a wide spread pattern of strange symbols and Latin were all over the wall. "You, can you read Latin? Tell me what this line here means; it seems to be important in the structure of this area of the seal."

Emilio stumbled forwards, and looked up at the line Drake was pointing at. It took him several seconds, but he was able to translate it. He praised his lucky stars that he had been required to learn Latin in school. His reminiscing about school days was cut off when Drake cuffed the side of his head. "Dumbass! Read it if you can, don't just stare at it!"

Nodding his head in compliance, Emilio began to read. "Beneath the Earth lies that which should not be touched by human hands. The dead protect it, and the dead are pacified by the living. As long as God blesses Spain, no human hands will ever touch the Concordance."

Drake nodded, and then brushed Emilio aside. He extended on finger, tracing those letters, and his finger left behind a darkness that consumed the letters, making them black instead of white. "This specific line seems to protect this part of the seal, it's a connection for one quarter of the building. You break one, the others will patch it. You corrupt it, and the corruption will spread. Like a virus, I'll bring down this building's seal in order to take that which lies beneath the Earth."

As the darkness slowly began to spread, Emilio began to feel as if he had made a pact with the devil. This man was far from normal, and obviously evil. But he was still curious about what this was all about. "Err…what exactly is this Concordance that it mentioned?"

The violet eyed man folded his hands against his chest as he waited for the spreading darkness to take over. "It's an ancient book called the Concordance of Legends. Apparently it contains secrets about the fundamentals of how the world works, things that aren't contained anywhere but the book. According to whispers, whoever has the book will have access to all the knowledge that was deemed too dangerous for human hands."

His eyes narrowed, a wide demented grin spreading across his features. "If I'm right, then whoever can hold and understand the secrets in the Concordance will be granted power beyond anything else. In other words…the secret to apotheosis should lie within this book."

Once again, Emilio couldn't help but ask, even though he somehow knew he really wouldn't like the answer. "What exactly is apotheosis?"

Drake's dark grin got even darker as he explained simply. "Apotheosis is the process of a human being becoming a god. When the Concordance of Legends is mine, I'll become a god of darkness."

Emilio could only hope and pray that he failed in getting the Concordance. Or if that failed to work, then he would just have to hope that Drake was wrong. As terrifying as he was already, he would be billions of times worse if he could actually become a god. _'Dear Lord, let the dead pacify him!'_

His prayers were interrupted when Drake laughed out loud, pointing to something that had just appeared a few feet away. It was a tunnel with steps leading down beneath the cathedral. "Just like I thought, a cavern hidden in the darkness, hidden by the power of the light. Stay here Emilio, I might need you later. Hell, when I become a god, maybe you can be my high priest!"

Without another word, he walked down the tunnel, passing out of Emilio's sight. Then the tunnel itself seemed to vanish. Emilio was glad that he didn't have to go down that tunnel, because he had felt something coming from it. _'That tunnel leads to…evil. Nothing living is down there, nothing good.'_

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Drake stopped as the stairs bottomed out. The ground he was standing on was covered by a thick, otherworldly mist. What he felt down here was evil in a way he nothing he had felt on the Earth was. This was truly a place where the darkness gathered, a place where evil flourished. _'A darkness that gives even me the chills.'_

Shaking off that feeling, he advanced forwards, his hand holding a ball of black flame that strangely enough provided light for him. His footsteps echoed down the tunnel, the only sound that could be heard. At least until the voice came to him. _"You disturb the dead. The dead have remained pacified. Come no further mortal, or death shall take you!"_

"I am no mere mortal! I am the darkness itself, darkness incarnate! Bring on your dead you bodiless motherfucker, and I'll burn them all to ash!" The voice didn't reply, so all he could do was continue walking down the tunnel.

Whispers in the darkness told him that somehow, he wasn't alone. His suspicions were confirmed when the tunnel ended in a massive cavern, and corpses of all shapes and sizes, and conditions as well, meandered around. _'I've wandered into Night of the Living Dead.'_

The dead seemed to ignore him as he walked past them, their rotting bodies brushing up against him as he pushed in farther. The cavern seemed to grow thicker with them as he continued towards the center of the cavern. Eventually they grew so thick that he was shoving through a wall of decayed flesh before he was even half-way there. _'There are tens of thousands of them in this cavern alone!'_

Briefly he considered burning them to ash like he had suggested to that strange voice, but knew that he risked striking the Concordance if he did so. He didn't know if it was protected by a barrier, or just these walking corpses. He didn't want to risk destroying the object that could make him a god. _'Damn it…it'll take forever to get there at this point!'_

_"Mortal, you approach too close to that which human hands should never touch. Advance no further or be consumed by the dead."_ Drake looked around for the origin of the voice, but just like before it seemed to come from everywhere, including in his hand.

"Listen you intangible fuck! I already said I'm coming to get it, and no amount of rotting lumps of flesh can stop me! The Concordance of Legends will belong to me!" The bodiless voice laughed the sound chilling and terrifying, even to Drake. There was something about that laugh that embodied something…sinister.

_"So, they call it the Concordance of Legends now do they? Mortal, you know not what you seek. The dead protect it, and the hands of a human shall never touch it. If you wish to lay your hands upon that which humans should never touch, then you must become one of the dead. Is that your desire?" _Drake shivered as the eyes of thousands of undead turned to look upon him, the large mass of bodies now facing him, surrounding him on all sides.

"Go to Hell!" Again that sinister laugh echoed in his mind and throughout the cavern, and even the corpses seemed to laugh.

_"You are for more interesting than the last mortal to enter this place. You will make an excellent addition to my collection. Mortal, prepare yourself to join the dead. Your foolishness has caused this, for you have failed to see the truth." _Drake tilted his head up to look at the cavern ceiling, hoping to catch a sing of something there.

"Oh? And what exactly is it that I'm missing?" The thick fog that layered the ground coiled around his feet, and to his surprise it began to solidify, and his legs couldn't move.

_"Mortal…this is the place that births things even Hell itself fears. You walked through a convergence into the place with no name. This is the place where Evil was born into the world. Mortal, your death's crescendo will become a symphony in this place, to echo throughout time. Your suffering will be eternal. Prepare for the symphony of your demise!"_

And as one the mass of dead creatures attacked him.

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Author's Notes: Somehow I just like the evil Drake a lot. I guess I just like evil characters.

_Next Time: Dark Drake's struggles continue, but he isn't the only one with struggles awaiting him. Takuya and Kai step up to the plate to unearth the artifact capable of measuring the balance of good and evil in the universe. But an artifact of such power is bound to be guarded. _

_See it all in,_ _The Beast That Awaits Beneath the Earth!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: You seem to forget that they have to get in touch with as many people with magic as they can. Those were just the ones they already knew about. Pegasus is going to help them find more.

WolfGeneral: Yeah, Pegasus was and always will be a truly powerful duelist. That's the primary thing about the Doom Arc that I didn't like, which was Mai defeating Pegasus, even with the aid of the Orichalcos. After all, it took Yugi's all even without Pegasus using the Millennium Eye to beat Pegasus, and we know Yugi can beat Mai. And of course Kaiba beating Pegasus in the movie miffed me as well.


	13. The Beast that Awaits Beneath the Earth

Author's Note: Powerful guys abound!

**Chapter Twelve: The Beast that Awaits Beneath the Earth**

Kai jerked away the moment the plane's wheels touched the pavement, signaling that they had just landed. _'Well at least it isn't a super long trip between Japan and New Zealand.'_

Beside him Takuya was sitting up straight, his eyes closed, almost as if he were meditating. He seemed to have prepared for a potential fight by changing into his black and silver gi, with a silver headband that kept his hair out of his eyes. _'He's truly ready for a battle. Could we be in for a fight?'_

They probably would be in for a fight, as that usually seemed to be the case. Nothing ever came easily to them, that was for sure. "Takuya, we're landing."

Takuya's eyes slid open, and he smiled. "Well that was restful. Are you sure you that mountain is the right place to start?"

Kai nodded, gazing out the window at the mountain in the distance. "Yes, I'm certain that the object we seek is beneath that mountain. Aoraki is the one place in New Zealand that there are more legends about than any other place. It's said that it is the form of the strongest and tallest of the sons of the Sky Father and Earth Mother frozen by chilling winds."

It never ceased to amaze Takuya the random facts that Kai knew, at least when it came to history. Modern day knowledge from the younger man was slightly less forthcoming. It seemed like Kai was always out of sync with the rest of the world, and more in sync with the past. _'That's what makes him an interest person…albeit annoying at times.'_

As the plane finally came to a halt, Kai noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning to gaze out the window, he thought he saw a person standing on the wing of the plane, looking in at them. However, as soon as he got his gaze focused, there was nothing there. _'Gremlin on the wing Kai, that's all it was. Just your imagination.'_

A voice came on over the loud speaker, declaring that passengers were to now disembark. Both duelists followed the order quickly enough, getting off the plane in good time. There was nobody on the other side to greet them, or at least they thought there wouldn't be anyone.

To their surprise there was a man in a business suit holding a placard with their names on it written in Kanji. They approached him with caution, taking in his appearance. He didn't look very business-like with his wild, almost feral red hair framing his features, and his robin's egg blue eyes looked even odder. "Hello there. Takuya and Kai right? I'm Eramoros, I was contacted by Mr. Sumatin and told to show you how to get to the device."

Takuya and Kai exchanged glances, not quite sure what to make of it. They didn't remember Dalin mentioning anything about someone meeting them in New Zealand, let alone one who knew exactly where the device was. Takuya stepped up close, looking down at the slightly shorter man. "And why should we believe you?"

Eramoros smiled, and held out a Duel Monsters card. "Mr. Sumatin said that if you had any trouble believing I'm here to help, since it was last minute, that I was to show you two this card. Does this help?"

The card Eramoros had extended to them was none other than Saint Dragon Osiris, one of the three Egyptian God cards that were in Dalin's possession, and this was the god that was usually considered his personal god card. Takuya took the card and inspected it, but to his surprise he discovered that it seemed to be genuine. "Well, Dalin wouldn't give Osiris to someone he didn't trust. I guess we'll follow your lead then."

Eramoros smiled graciously and motioned for them to follow him. They walked after him, not aware that the card that had just been returned to Eramoros had changed its appearance. No longer was it the Saint Dragon Osiris. "Come this way, I have a transport waiting for us. It will take us to the base of Aoraki."

Kai flashed Takuya a superior and confident look, proud that he had guessed correctly. His instincts were right on the money with that one, and now they would be heading straight there. This wouldn't be as hard as they guessed. "I'm afraid to say that getting to the mountain is the easy part, many have discovered the location before."

Takuya frowned, still following Eramoros. "Then what exactly _is _ the difficult part?"

Eramoros pointed out into the distance, where Aoraki could be seen. "There, at the base of the mountain, is a hidden entrance to the complex below that houses the artifact you seek. However, the entrance is guarded by a vicious monster that you may call Kedamono."

Kai knew that a name like that didn't bode well. For the guard's name given in Japanese simply meant 'beast'. Fighting the guard of the artifact would no doubt prove to be extremely difficult. "How do we fight it?"

"Kedamono will fight you however you wish to fight it. It's duty is to battle those who seek entrance, but to make it a fair battle. In your case, I'm certain you'd like to challenge it to game of Duel Monsters. Be aware, however, that Kedamono is dreadfully powerful at everything it does, so it is bound to be very powerful as a duelist." Both of them noted this, sure that they would rather duel it than fight it, whatever it was.

Finally they reached the transport Eramoros had mentioned, an old jeep sitting there waiting for them. "Come aboard friends. It's time we seek out the artifact."

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Kai and Takuya slid out of their seats in the jeep, and took a look around at the base of the mountain. However, they didn't see any entrances anywhere. "So how do we open up the entrance and face Kedamono?"

Eramoros stepped out of the passenger seat on the jeep and approached them, smiling slightly. "You must stand near that bush over there and declare your right to enter. Say with as much force as you can muster: 'I have come seeking that which is sealed from human hands.' Then it will be revealed."

Takuya nodded and stepped up to the bush, titled his head up, and spoke in a loud clear voice. "I have come seeking that which is sealed from human hands!"

The ground began to rumble, and right in front of Takuya there began to raise a massive gateway. It was huge and arched, with massive doors barring their path. But that wasn't the primary feature that took their attention. It was what stood directly in front of the doors. **"You have come seeking that which is sealed from human hands. If so, then you must wrench it free from the grasp of the beast. I am Kedamono, the last face you will see."**

Kedamono was just about what they had been expecting. He stood about thirteen feet tall, and his body was bulging with raw power, muscles on top of his muscles. His deltoids had deltoids, and his biceps had two or three extra biceps. Although his spine appeared to be ridged, he was mostly human, aside from a face that looked to be a cross between a hyena and a human. There was also one long horn on the top of his head.

Eramoros stepped backwards, gesturing for Takuya and Kai to step up. "This is your task boys. I was here to guide you to this point and tell you what to do, it's your job to defeat Kedamono.'

Kai and Takuya looked up at the monster, and despite their convictions, they felt fear. There was something primal and frightening about Kedamono, something that they didn't dare deny. Kau gulped, staring at the monstrous creature. "We challenge you to a special type of battle in order to prove ourselves!"

Kedamono eyed them like they were toys, playthings for a giant. Based on his size, it was quite possible that to him that was all they were. **"What challenge did you have in mind for me, Kedamono? I will accept any form of challenge, but I will not be defeated."**

Takuya and Kai took another look at each other, and then the fighter took his chance to speak his piece. "Kedamono, we challenge you to two on one combat in a game of our choosing. That game is to be Duel Monsters!"

Both of their duel disks flipped into position, and they slid five cards off their decks. They knew that this was a critical juncture. There was no telling how powerful Kedamono could be, so it was best to come at him in a two on one battle. If not, there could be hell to pay. **"Very well, I accept this challenge."** (TLP: 4000, KLP: 4000, KeLP: 4000)

Kedamono raised one massive arm and a proportionate duel disk formed there, looking just like theirs, only much larger. The deck as well appeared bigger, as were the cards. **"Ho ho! I like the rules of this game. You may take the first turn." **

He clearly pointed at Takuya, so acknowledging that somehow their opponent automatically knew how to play, he drew a card for the start of his turn. _'Okay, well we have no idea how this guy will duel or what his strategy is. So I'd best start off slow.'_

Taking one of the cards he was holding he placed it onto his duel disk, and a holographic image appeared in front of him. The monster wore white armor, his blue eyes burning with determination. However, this warrior had no mouth whatsoever. "This is Silent Knight(1700/1200), my starter for now."

Silent Knight didn't appear worried by the fact that the monster staring at him from high above wasn't even a normal monster, but rather a duelist. It was just brimming with confidence. "I set one magic or trap card face down and end my turn."

Now it was Kai's turn, and he knew just how to start it off. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600 + 300/1000) in attack mode!"

His signature and favorite monster now stood ready, crimson armor shining under the New Zealand sun. He too didn't appear worried by their opponent. "Just like Takuya, I'll set one card face down before finishing my turn."

Kedamono slid another oversized card off his oversized deck, and then held it up. **"I'll crush you underfoot on my first turn! Activate magic card, Rage of the Beast! By playing this card I pay two thousand life points." **(KeLP: 2000)

Immediately his deck started to glow, and four cards shot out of it. He caught them and slammed them down onto his giant duel disk. **_"_This card lets me summon four level four or lower monsters from my deck that have 'Rage' in their titles. I summon three Rage Demons(4000/0) in attack mode!"**

Both of his opponent's drew back in shock as three, twenty foot tall spiny, oozing demons appeared in front of Kedamono, each one with a tremendous amount of attack strength. Kai just shook his head as if denying it. "That's impossible! How could any level four have four thousand attack? What's their effect?"

Kedamono tilted his duel disk down so they could see the cards. And to both of their surprise, each of the three cards had a yellow border. They were normal monsters, with absolutely no effect whatsoever. _'This is impossible! Could his soul have produced cards so powerful?'_

Another monster formed beside the others, this one not quite as big, but still a tall nine feet in height. It was a very muscular human with a bow on his back that looked like it could shoot spears instead of arrows. **"My fourth monster is Rage Assasin(2100/0), who is also a normal monster."**

Kedamono's beady eyes swung around, coming to focus on Kai. Those eyes had a fury to them, a hungry look. **"Rage Assasin, destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior!"**

Kai pointed to his set card as the assassin fired an arrow at his favorite monster. "No way is my monster going down so easily! You overcommitted and now you pay the price, with my trap card, Mirror Force!"

**"Activate quick-play magic card, Absolute Negation! This prevents my monsters from being destroyed, and since only one attack was negated, the rest are free to attack you. Rage Demon, attack Breaker the Magical Warrior!" **Kai stared in horror as the giant demon rushed towards his monster. If it broke through, then the next attack would finish him off.

"Not so fast! You won't leave me out of this duel! Silent Knight, I activate your special effect! By sacrificing you I can immediately end the battle phase of whoever's turn it is!" Silent Knight faded away, and the giant demon stopped in its tracks.

Kai gave Takuya a look of thanks, and the other duelist nodded in response. It was already obvious that Kedamono was a powerful duelist, so they were going to have to work together to take him down. **"Three cards face down. Your turn warrior."**

Takuya flipped up the card so he could see it, and then made his decision. He knew just what to play this turn. "I summon Knight of the Forest(1200/1800) in defense mode!"

His newest monster wore silver and green armor, and had a shield that seemed to be woven from vines. His helm displayed a sigil of a large tree in full bloom. "Now, I'll continue my defense pattern by setting two cards face down. Go ahead Kai."

Kai drew, and then looked over at his partner. He knew that Takuya felt like defending was the best option right now, but he couldn't just sit idly by and watch his enemy gather a huge force and protect himself. "Breaker, sacrifice your counter to destroy his center face down card!"

The magical warrior raised his sword, which was now glowing, and slashed it at the face down card. Instantly it shattered, but before Kai could relax at having that out of the way it reformed, and a blast of energy shot out of it and blew Breaker apart. **"When destroyed, the trap card Rage Crush destroys one monster on the field."**

Although his favorite monster had been destroyed, Kai had no intention of letting Kedamono stop him now. "You played right into my hands by destroying Breaker. Now, I summon Soul Breaker(1600 + 300/1000) in attack mode!"

His new breaker was of course identical to every other in terms of appearance and shape of armor, but this one was in green, putting it apart from others. "Soul Breaker, use your counter to copy Breaker's effect since he's in the grave. Break the left card!"

The named card shattered, but just like the previous one it reformed, and a blast of energy shot out of it. Instead of striking Soul Breaker it collided with Kai, hurling him back towards the jeep. **"When destroyed, Rage Bomb deals the player who destroyed it one thousand points of damage."** (KLP: 3000)

Takuya moved to rush over to Kai, but Eramoros was already helping the wounded duelist to his feet. Kai wiped blood from his lips, looking like he had just been hit by a cinderblock in the stomach. "You're strong…"

His partner frowned, realizing that Kai was right. Kedamono had somehow predicted Kai's attacks on his face down cards, and had already prepared cards that would be deadly when destroyed. "Kai, I'd recommend not destroying anymore of his set cards."

Kai shook his head, sliding a card from his hand onto the field. It formed in front of him, between him and his breaker. "No! We can't stop just because he has strong monsters or because it's dangerous. We have to fight until we beat him, no matter what!"

Takuya paused as he was, considering Kai's words. _'He's right. We have to take every method we can to defeat this guy, because we can't afford to lose. We may not know what happens to the loser, but that's not the point. The fate of the world could depend on us getting past Kedamono.'_

Kedamono drew, and then placed his drawn card onto his huge duel disk. **"Rage Beast(3000/0) is another normal four star monster. And it will be the card that destroys Soul Breaker!"**

A huge horned bull, with drool coming of its jaws and burning the ground, now was charging directly for Kai's only monster. Destroying it would mean certain defeat for Kai, that was for sure. "I'll hold you off with this trap, Negate Attack!"

Rage Beast was halted by an invisible barrier, but as its roars and pressing began to grow more incessant, Kai got the bad feeling that his trap wasn't working as he had hoped. **"Activate magic card, Renewed Efforts. This card can only activate if a monster's attack has been negated. I may initiate battle once again, and the selected monster gains one thousand attack points."**

The invisible barrier that had been holding back the bull faded, and it began to charge once again. This time there was nothing Kai had that could stop the beast's charge. He shot a look over at Takuya, hoping the other duelist had a plan. _'If none of his set cards can help me, then I'm done for!'_

But luckily for him Takuya was already pressed the activation button for one of his three set cards. When the trap lifted up, Knight of the Forest rushed into the path of the attacking monster and slammed into Rage Beast. Both of them exploded. "Sacrifice of the Knight lets me destroy one of my knights to destroy one of your monsters."

**"No matter, I can still conduct battle. Rage Assassin will destroy Soul Breaker!" **Kai grimaced, knowing there was little left he could do. However, Takuya snapped his fingers, bringing their attention back to him.

"Don't talk until I say I'm done! When he's destroyed by an effect, Knight of the Forest lets me destroy one monster on the opponent's field! I choose a Rage Demon!" Vines erupted from the earth, wrapping around one of the gigantic demons, and pulled it beneath the ground.

"Next up is my continuous trap card, Rights of the Fallen! Whenever one of my monsters goes to the grave because of an effect instead of battle, I get to end the battle phase. Now I'm done, and you can speak if you want." Kai heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he had been protected. He owed Takuya two now, and he would make up for it.

Kedamono frowned, his hand empty, and his field only had one magic or trap card down, along with three beastly monsters. **"You are impressive little warrior. My turn ends there."**

Takuya nodded, accepting the praise. But he didn't care, he just knew what he had to do. He had to break apart the wall that Kedamono had made before it could be built back up. It would require Kai's help, but they could do it. "Draw!"

He grabbed one of his other cards and threw it down. "I'll fight back against you with this next monster, Aquatic Kngiht(1500/1100)!"

Emerging from his card was a knight in blue armor, with a sword that seemed to be made completely of water. In addition his helmet had a breathing apparatus attached. "And Aquatic Knight is so unafraid of your pathetic demons that he'll attack one right now!"

Kedamono appeared interested as the knight charged towards his demon. **"Sending your monster to a noble but useless death are you? Such a pointless sacrifice doesn't sit well with me. Rage Demon, counter-attack!"**

The demon lashed out with one huge hand, and Aquatic Knight was smashed into the ground, his armor and body broken and bleeding. Takuya bowed his head in honor of his fallen warrior. "When Aquatic Knight is destroyed in battle I take no overflow damage, so I'm safe."

**"Surely you didn't attack my monster just to prove that your monster wouldn't let you take damage. What's your plan little warrior? There has to be more to it." **To Kedamono's surprise Takuya responded by pointing at the Rage Demon.

"Take a look at your monster and maybe you'll understand." There, sticking out of Rage Demon's chest and into its heart, was Aquatic Knight's sword. The demon clawed at it for a moment, but then collapsed and shattered into tiny particles.

**"I see, whatever monster destroys Aquatic Knight in battle is also destroyed afterwards. So you sent your monster to its death in order to destroy one of my powerful monsters. Is that your turn?"** Takuya nodded, giving the signal for Kai to take it away.

Kai could tell that Takuya was setting up the pins for him to knock down. And from what he could see in his hand, he knew exactly how to do it. "I activate the quick-play magic card, Monster Relief! Now I take one monster off my field and add it to my hand."

He picked up Soul Breaker, causing it to vanish from the field. "Next I shuffle my hand back into my deck and draw a new one of equal size. So that's four new cards for me!" He shuffled up and then drew the needed cards.

Instinctively he knew that he had drawn the card he wanted. "Alright, time to bring down your wall! I summon Monster Breaker(1600 +300/1000) to the field!" A black armored breaker now stood at the ready, its sword held out in front of it.

"By tributing its counter I can destroy one monster on the opponent's field. So, say goodbye to the final Rage Demon!" Monster Breaker made a slashing motion with its sword, and an arc of energy slashed the demon in half, leaving only Rage Assassin.

Immediately Kai snapped another card from his hand around and slid it into his duel disk. "That's not all! Since I successfully activated a Breaker's effect I can use the quick-play magic card Breaker's Might, which raises the attack of that Breaker by six hundred!"

The spellcaster's armor bulged as its muscles increased size, its attack power pumping up to twenty-two hundred. That set it just above Rage Assassin, leaving Kedamono's face down card as the only obstacle to clearing away the last of Kedamono's monsters. _'Time to hope that's not a serious trap card.'_

He thrust out his right hand, pointing at the assassin. Immediately Monster Breaker snapped his sword up and jumped towards the opposing monster. "Monster Breaker, bring down Rage Assassin for me!"

Kedamono watched with his teeth bared, in either amusement or irritation, as the breaker slashed into his monster's chest, cutting it down almost instantly. It collapsed to the ground and faded away. **"You two are more powerful than I would have guessed. You managed to defeat some of my weaker monsters, quite impressive." **(KeLP: 1900)

Kai and Takuya stared at him in horror, not sure if they wanted to believe what he was saying. Takuya managed to ask the question they were both wanting to ask. "Kedamono…that can't be true. You're saying monsters with four thousand attack power is weak for your deck?"

The beast only responded by doing something that resembled a feral grin, but his face was so different from theirs that they just weren't sure what it was. **"Believe me or not, it doesn't matter. Your turn is over little one, let me take mine."**

Kai nodded slowly, sliding one of his last cards into his duel disk in order to protect his face down monster. He had a plan that was forming, that just might work. _'Come on Kedamono, you've only attacked me so far, so take the bait!'_

While Kedamono was drawing, Eramoros was watching the duel with great interest. _'So those two are strong duelists, but the question remains as to whether they can discover the secret to defeating Kedamono. He's not like any opponent either of them has ever faced, and no normal methods can defeat him.'_

Hiding his smirk, he leaned back against the jeep to continue to watch the duel. It was impressive that they were still standing while fighting against a monster as powerful as Kedamono. However, Kedamono wasn't the most powerful creature they might have to face if they made it farther. _'Let's see what you two are made of. Can you become the first people to defeat this monster?'_

Kedamono paused in his draw, looking across the field at the small creature, the human, that leaned up against the jeep. With his red hair and blue eyes he was very different from the other two, but there was something more about him. _'My instincts would normally tell me to crush any human intruding but…he's not even showing up at all. What is that one?'_

Shaking off that strange feeling, he flipped over his drawn card to look at it. His eyes drifted towards the little long-haired one's face down card, which was potentially a threat. _'He's almost too obvious. I'll take your bait little one, and you will regret having set it for me.'_

Finally he was ready to truly begin his turn, and to do so he would have to activate the set card he had been saving. **"Reveal trap card, Unending Rage! This trap can only activate if I have at least five monsters with 'Rage' in their title in the cemetery that were sent there by being destroyed and not any other method."**

Since each of them knew that was the case, they could easily proceed with the rest of the effect. **"Unending Rage, since I have met the requirement, now allows me to special summon five Rage monsters from the grave to the field. So my five monsters return to me!"**

Both of them grimaced as the five monsters they had worked hard to destroy all returned to the field, threatening to crush them easily. **"Rage Beast, destroy Monster Breaker!" **

His monstrous bull rushed forwards, slashing at Monster Breaker with its horns. The magic wielding warrior screamed in pain as it was literally torn in half by the strike, its armor splitting down the middle and spewing innards onto the ground. Kai and Takuya were sickened by the display. (KLP: 2200)

Although he was disgusted by the way his monster had been slain, that didn't mean he didn't remember the trap he had set. "Kedamono, it's game over for you! Reveal trap card, Arc Force! This activates when a breaker is destroyed in battle. The monster that did so is destroyed as well, and its attack points are deducted from your life points while I lose one hundred points times its level!" (KLP: 1800)

He was expecting Rage Bull to be blown apart in seconds, but instead it merely roared and returned to Kedamono's field. The beast held up the card he had drawn that turn. **"Wave of Rage activates if an effect would destroy a Rage monster. I can prevent my monster from being destroyed at a cost of my battle phase. So I take no damage, and my monsters remains."**

Kai grimaced, realizing that he had failed to finish Kedamono off like he had wanted. In the end he just wasn't able to do it in one strike. _'That just proves his true power. He's as powerful a duelist as he is strong physically.'_

Kedamono chuckled, the sound booming across the field. **"Your attempt to defeat me was impressive little one, but it only succeeds in fueling my inner rage, controlled only by the power of my mind. Were I to unleash it, I would destroy you in seconds with no thoughts on the matter, and that is my inner strength. My raw rage. End turn!"**

Takuya didn't appear frustrated by this, instead he appeared invigorated. "Your power rests on your rage, and it grants your monsters strength as well you as power. However, skill can defeat power!"

He held up his drawn card, revealing a magic card. It depicted lightning bolts striking almost randomly. "The magic card Lightning Vortex costs one discard from my hand." He held up a monster card, and then slid it into his cemetery slot.

"After I've made the payment, Lightning Vortex wipes out every face-up monster on the opponent's field! Think of this as a weakened Raigeki, but still extremely effective. So effective that it just cleared your field!" Lightning streaked from one monster to the next, blowing them apart.

With the field opened, Takuya grabbed the remaining card in his hand and threw it down on the field. Immediately a knight in burning armor appeared, holding up a sword of fire. "Pyro Knight(1800/1300) isn't quite strong enough to beat you. However…"

He paused for dramatic effect, and then thrust out one fist like he was punching an opponent. "Pyro Knight, do your stuff! Direct attack with Pyro Blade!"

The knight rushed forwards, slamming its burning blade down on Kedamono's exposed flesh. Takuya wasn't surprised at all when the monster's flesh repelled the attack completely, leaving it as having done no real damage. "You're as tough as you look Kedamono, but that doesn't always transfer over to a duel." (KeLP: 100)

**"Perhaps not. However, you should know just as much as anyone else that sometimes it does. You failed to complete a killing blow, and perhaps that will come back to strike you later." **He laughed, the sound once again shaking the ground. He obviously didn't seem worried by his lack of life points and field.

"Maybe you've forgotten that I have a partner? He'll take his turn once Pyro Knight's effect kicks in. All damage it has dealt is transferred to my life points, so here it comes!" Flames whipped around him, but instead of doing damage they increased his life points. (TLP: 5800)

He smiled as the flames died out, leaving him back to normal. "That's all from me. Now Kai, finish him off!"

Kai nodded and slipped a card off his deck. He threw it down immediately and another Breaker monster formed. "Attack Breaker(1600 + 300/1000) come on out!"

Off on the side-lines, Eramoros smirked slightly. _'Now they'll learn exactly what separates Kedamono from normal opponents. Not a single opponent before has ever discovered the secret to beating him, and it's likely they won't either.'_

"Attack Breaker, attack Kedamono directly for game!" The breaker charged forwards, stabbing its sword at Kedamono. Just like Pyro Knight, the attack did no physical damage, and the sword didn't' even break the skin of Kedamono's stomach.

"Now that we've won, let us pass on to the chambers below." Kai began to walk forwards, but was stopped by Kedamono's booming laughter. He jerked to a halt and looked up at the behemoth of a duelist, whose hyena-like face was twisted up in a strange fashion that Kai couldn't place.

**"Perhaps you failed to understand when I said that my rage supplied me with power. For as long as my rage exists within me I cannot be defeated. It is as if a raw presence of my power presents itself in this duel, just as it would in a normal battle." **He raised his duel disk, indicating what he meant. (KeLP: -1800)

Kai and Takuya stared in shock, unable to comprehend how it was possible. Kedamono merely laughed again, the ground quaking with his laughter. **"Perhaps now you see. This is no duel, just as no battle with me is ever as simple as it seems. This is a fight for survival against an opponent that you cannot possibly defeat! I was place here because it is impossible to defeat me in combat, making it impossible for anyone to gain entrance!"**

Eramoros continued to smile, watching the horrified expressions on the two duelist's faces. _'Now they see it. Kedamono cannot be defeated in battle, it is merely that simple. Can they learn the secret to defeating an opponent that one can't fight? It will be fun to find out…'_

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Author's Notes: Oooo, more powerful guys.

_Next Time: While Takuya and Kai struggle to discover the secret to defeating an unstoppable opponent the precocious and excitable Alice gets a chance to prove herself while helping Isis and Rishid. Down they must go to tombs cursed and forbidden for anyone to set foot in, but there is no other choice._

_See it all in,_ _Forbidden Tombs!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: A couple of points. Dark Drake's personality is all the negative aspects of Drake multiplied, he isn't literally the darkness. He just calls himself the darkness because he was born into existence because of a Darkness Game, and he has mastery over the Heart of Darkness. You'll learn more about the tunnel and its contents next time we shift over to Dark Drake as well as learning about the breaking of the seal and why it was so easy (believe me, I'm good enough to know this stuff since I'm making it up). And in fact other players WILL get such an ability, albeit not necessarily the same type. As you can see Kedamono has a "happy" power as well.

WolfGeneral: Yep, evil Drake is pretty umm…evil.


	14. Forbidden Tombs

Author's Note: Now, it's time to take a peak at Egypt.

**Chapter Thirteen: Forbidden Tombs**

For the first time in her life Isis Ishtar honestly wondered if it was possible to turn back the sands of time. If she could do so, then she would go back in time and tell Dalin that she would not take assistance from his ward on her mission. _'The mistakes we make…'_

Towering over her at her right hand side, just as always, was her adoptive brother Rishid. With his great height, bronzed skin, top-knot, and half his face tattooed with ancient scriptures, it was hard for anyone to not be intimidated by Rishid. That made it easier to travel through dangerous areas without risk.

Isis thought back to the past as well, remembering some of her experiences. Even at this juncture, quite a few years later, it seemed odd that she bore Dalin no ill will. Truthfully it had not been his direct actions that had caused the death of her young breath Malik, but it was partially because of him. Dalin had accepted full blame, and for that Isis had found herself unwilling to truly hold him responsible.

After the events involving the creature she still thought of as the Avatar of Apep controlling Taichi Nobuki, Dalin had began traveling the world. He had gone to various types of tournaments, earning money and searching for clues to his past. While in Cairo he had met Isis, and they had reconciled.

At some point, Isis felt she had been close to falling in love with him. This unknowable man who was always calm and in control, seeming to know more about any situation than he let on. The man whose past was a secret even to himself, and whose future was in flux as long as that past was hidden.

Three years ago the chances of her coming together with him had diminished to nothing. He had met with her and explained that without knowing his own past he could never know himself or his own feelings. Whether he had someone else out there waiting for him he did not know, so he could not take any action. Until he settled his past, it would be impossible for him to move onwards and decide his true feelings. _'Yes, I can understand the allure he holds, a powerful and nearly flawless man in many ways.'_

Despite her acknowledgment of her own feelings, she still found this twenty one year old blonde girl to be annoying. It had been obvious from the start that Alice Terry, Dalin's young ward, was besotted with the man. However, she was more than besotted, she was obsessed.

"And then, bam, pow! He knocked that guard flat out! It was so awesome to see! Well, okay I didn't really see it, but I heard about it. Second hand. Third hand. Okay, I heard a rumor about, but it sounds likely right? Senpai's always doing cool stuff like that!" Isis let out a calming breath, her left eye twitching slightly.

"Oh, and there was this one time where he dueled Seto Kaiba! Now that was an amazing duel! When Seto brought out his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon and then defused it for three direct attacks, I thought Senpai was a goner, but he had been prepared for the attack of the Blue Eyes the whole time! He's always doing cool things like that, always knows ahead of time." Isis idly wondered if Rishid was as annoyed as she was. He was stone faced, so it was hard to tell.

Suddenly Rishid stopped and shivered. Isis followed the path his eyes were taking as he scanned the rooftops. She gave him a questioning look, and he answered immediately. "I felt as if someone's eyes were boring into my very soul. I did not like it."

"Jumpy aren't you?" Alice yelped, and both Isis and Rishid spun back to see who had spoken. Standing just a handful of feet away, perched on a cart selling melons, was a bronze skinned young man, looking just slightly older than Alice.

Isis was a very self-aware person. It wasn't often that she lost focus on her surroundings, so she was not caught off guard when she noticed that nobody around them was moving. It was as if time had stopped. "Who are you?"

The bronze skinned man smiled, his midnight locks falling down across his face to cover his eyes, making it impossible to tell if he was looking at them directly. Idly he reached up one hand and brushed imaginary dust off his brown desert robes. "A shame, a true and utter shame that you nobody recognizes me these days."

Rishid frowned, a look that was made even more dangerous by his stony features. He stepped out in front of Isis, towering over the seated younger man. "We have never met you before. Now give your name and state your business or you will regret it."

Despite being confronted by a much bigger man, the young Egyptian looking man just grinned, looking quite cocky. He tilted his head up, and the hair parted, giving Rishid a look into eyes that were had no pupils, and were darker than the night itself. "Little man…I could eat you alive."

Rishid clutched his chest suddenly, feeling as if something was being pulled at within his body, within the very core of his being. It was a burning and tearing sensation that sent intense flashes of pain through his mind. In mere moments he was on the ground, twitching and clutching his chest. "Just a few moments more and I'll find out what your soul tastes like."

"Release him and speak! I'll listen to what you have to say, just stop this!" The young man shrugged and lifted his gaze from the fallen Egyptian man. His bangs fell across his eyes again, concealing them as he looked in Isis and Alice's direction.

"My name is Israfel. A pleasure to meet you." He extended one hand out to her, which she refused to take. Alice was standing completely behind her, terrified of the young man who had somehow nearly killed Rishid just by looking at him directly.

"That's not polite behavior. Don't act like I'm evil, I'm far from it. In fact, I come bearing advice for you, that's why I've temporarily placed us in a pocket of time separate from the rest of the time stream." His newest smile looked rather eerie in that it was both friendly, amused, and frightening.

"You tried to kill Rishid merely because he threatened you. What advice do you have that makes you worth listening to?" Israfel vanished, appeared to their right perched on top of an unlabeled brown box. His hidden eyes seemed to shift over to Rishid, and the tall Egyptian shuddered and stood to his feet.

"There, he's all better. Its best if mortals learn lessons in respect before someone truly cruel does something. As for my advice, well I'm sure you're aware that the apocalypse is coming, correct?" Isis nodded, still not sure what to make of this strange man.

Israfel laced his fingers together and placed his folded hands over his right knee, propping his chin on top of that. "The dinner of in honor of Osiris, the plot by Set to slay his brother, such things are to come to pass again. The champion is the destroyer, the savior the satan. That's basically it."

To the strange man's surprise, and to the shock of Isis and Rishid, there was a sudden snort following the comment. "That's it? A bunch of cryptic nonsense and then you'll just head off? The fate of the world is in the balance and that's what you give us? Hell, why should we even trust you anyways?"

Rishid stepped between Israfel and Alice immediately, keeping him from looking directly at her. Isis on the other hand turned around to face Alice, looking upset. "Alice, I understand that your knowledge is limited, however you must know this. Israfel is the name of the Angel of Song, who is said to come and blow his trumpet as the apocalypse begins."

Israfel laughed happily, slapping a leg with one hand, looking positively overjoyed by the response. "I always forget that you mortals don't really get how things work. Yet it's always so refreshing to be called by that term. You know, I was mortal once as well, a very long time ago."

Isis turned, looking for answers, but before she could even ask a question Israfel waved a hand, brushing her off. "Don't think about it too much. Just know that there is only so much I'm allowed to tell you. You'll come to understand the truth soon enough. If the Satan of this age is born, know that the apocalypse will come. That is your goal. Farewell."

Just as suddenly as it had stopped, the motions of the crowd returned to normal. Seeing that they needed a chance to discuss this strange development Rishid and Isis ducked into an alley, with a hushed warning to 'watch guard' to Alice. It was of course intended to keep her out of the way. And she knew it.

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Alice had dutifully stood guard. She had even agreed to Rishid's less than polite request to 'stop talking about Sumatin for five damned minutes'. Now, in an effort to impress her mentor, she was no sitting in a Jeep driving through the Sahara.

"So what are we out here looking for again?" Isis sighed, having already given the brief explanation three times already. It seemed odd to her that any adult could seem so immature, especially at twenty-one. After all, she had taken on adult responsibilities when she was fifteen.

Now she was a twenty-seven year old woman, head curator at the Cairo National Museum, and one of the world's top Egyptologists. To her embarrassment she had also ranked in the top twenty in Duelist Monthly's yearly 'Hundred Hottest Duelists' for the past four years. Even Rishid, normally without a sense of humor, had found it amusing.

_'This Alice…she's so immature that she can't even be considered a woman yet. She's merely a girl, a teenager in overdrive with hormones. And she is driving me crazy!'_ Praying to all the goddess who was her namesake for patience, Isis leaned over the back seat to once again offer the explanation.

"We are going to find an ancient tomb hidden beneath the sands of Egypt, created when Egypt itself was first unified." Alice pouted, dropping her chin into her hands. Honestly she had been hoping for a full explanation, but so far that tiny bit was all she had gotten.

The trip continued for nearly an hour longer, until at long last Rishid stopped the car in the middle of nowhere on top of a dune. "Sister, our scriptures indicate that the Forbidden Tomb is located beneath our very feet."

Alice leaned over the edge of the car, her blonde hair spilling down around her face as she looked around. "I don't see anything but sand beneath us. And it goes for miles. This is after all a giant desert."

Rishid's right eye twitched as he desperately tried to reign in his wrath. She was merely immature, and that was no reason to inflict severe bodily harm upon her. "The tomb is beneath the sand. We're going to open the path to it using you."

The blonde girl blinked and pointed at herself, looking surprised. "Me? What am I supposed to do to open this thing up? I don't even know the first thing about it."

Isis let out a deep breath, and then held up a slim looking dagger. "To open the pathway requires the blood of someone of pure heart to be spilled on the sands that cover the tomb. It is an ancient method and crude, but it is what must be done."

Alice frowned, backing away slightly from the knife. "My blood? Umm…but…but…why couldn't it be one of you two? Why does it have to be me? You guys don't seem evil to me."

The statuesque Egyptian woman looked like she didn't want to have to say, but a steady look from Rishid convinced her. "Being an ancient pact in blood, pure means…a virgin. To open the path requires the blood of a virgin."

Alice blushed, embarrassed that it was known that she was in fact a virgin. But still, she didn't want others to know that and just use it for their own whims, like using her blood to open up tombs. "Here I thought you were uptight all this time. Who'd you do?"

Isis' cheeks were tinged with pink, barely noticeable because of her copper skin. "That is of no importance. Now, I just need to prick your finger and let the blood drip onto the sand. Let's get this over with."

Still not looking quite satisfied, Alice extended her hand. Isis carefully pricked her finger with the knife, and then held Alice's hand out over the sand. It took a moment for the blood to gather, but finally a drop of blood fell to the ground. "That's it?"

Before anything else could be said in response, the sand about ten feet away began to be pushed to the side by what appeared to be magic. On further reflection Alice concluded that, since it required blood, it was actually magic. "Oh."

In under a minute the sand had parted enough to reveal a small tunnel with stairs that seemed to lead deep into the ground. "So we go in? We are taking lights right?"

In response Isis and Rishid extended her a flashlight, while Rishid held a lamp and Isis another flashlight. "Of course. Come, it's time to enter the forbidden tomb."

"You know, if it's forbidden, then why are we entering it? Shouldn't we stay out just based on the fact that it is forbidden?" She got no reply, because Isis and Rishid had already entered. Sighing she trudged after them, passing through the archway and into the tunnel.

Shining the flashlight around helped ease some of her fears, until she saw what was depicted on the walls the whole way through the tunnel. Scenes of death and torture, people being ripped apart by horrible monsters, men being dragged to death by chariots. "What…what is this place?"

Isis stopped, her flashlight centered on a particularly gruesome image of a man with his innards hanging out of his stomach, while he was chained up to something. "This is known as the Forbidden Tomb. It was created roughly five thousand years ago, just after Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt, thus beginning the Old Kingdom."

She stopped, pointing her flashlight at a massive stone doorway just up ahead. The point her flashlight met was an image of a man in a large headdress of some sort, holding a mace in one hand threateningly. "Narmer united Egypt, but specific histories are uncertain about this. However, specific histories known to the tomb keepers indicate the truth of unification."

Alice leaned in, intrigued by this new bit of information. Rishid on the other hand appeared bored, as he had heard this story many times. "Okay, so this Narmer guy united Egypt. Is this his tomb or something?"

Isis shook her head, apparently not bothered by the interruption. "No, in fact it is still currently believed that his tomb has been found in Umm el-Qa´a, Abedjou. His body has yet to be discovered of course, but the point is that this is not his tomb. No, this is the tomb of the reason that Egypt was unified."

The Egyptian woman shone her flashlight to another part of the doorway, this time the light settling on a more fearsome image. Much taller than Narmer was a fierce looking man, whose mouth appeared to be dripping blood, and he wore nothing but a loincloth. "This is the reason."

"He's scary…but how could that one guy be the reason for Egypt needing to be unified by Narmer? I mean, did he have a big army or something? Was he an invader?" Isis shook her head, and Alice noticed something. While she looked at that image, Isis appeared…afraid.

"This…this is Am-heh. It is called the Devourer of Millions, and it is not a man in the strictest sense. Whatever sort of evil he was born from, it made him powerful beyond anything Upper or Lower Egypt had seen before. Single handedly he tore villages apart, slaughtering countless men, women, and children." She shined the flashlight over to the wall to their left, which showed Am-heh holding a person's arm above his head, looking bloodthirsty.

Alice gulped, unable to take her eyes off the terrible image. Even the crude stone carvings of the tomb seemed…life like when depicting this man. "Neither part of Egypt had a standing army, so fighting back seemed impossible. But the gods sent a messenger to Narmer, and told him what to do."

Once again the flashlight moved, this time coming to rest on a large image of Narmer with dozens of men with spears behind him. "In the time of crisis Narmer unified the nation and brought forth an army. Then, with the power he was bestowed by the messenger from the gods, he unleashed his Ka, the first in Egypt to do so as a weapon."

This time the flashlight showed Narmer standing with his mace above his head, facing Am-heh. Directly behind Narmer, with wings extended, was a carving that could only be one thing. "That…that's the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Yes, Narmer's true Ka was that of the Blue Eyes, a Ka that would continue to be a mighty symbol in Egypt. It would pass through his family line, eventually taken forcibly by a High Priest three thousand years ago. Seto Kaiba's ancestor. But that is another story." Alice nodded, knowing that she'd have to ask again about that later.

"Okay, so Narmer had his big old duel monster to fight with him and an army. Then they kicked Am-heh's butt right?" Isis paused, and then shook her head and scanned with the flashlight. What she found was another gruesome image, this one showing Am-heh standing in front of Narmer on top of a pile of bodies.

"Despite the army that Narmer brought with him, Am-heh proved too powerful. Once again the unholy beast tore apart the opposition, leaving the army in tatters. The very ground above our heads was the site of that great battle, and it bathed in impure blood. That is why the blood of the pure is required to open the way." Alice gulped, rubbing her arms superstitiously as she looked around at the various images of Am-heh's acts of brutality.

"However, Narmer was not going to give up. He fought a brutal battle with Am-heh, his remaining soldiers giving their lives to keep him alive as he used his Ka to inflict damage upon Am-heh. When Am-heh was weakened and injured it lashed out and destroyed Narmer's Ka, nearly killing Narmer." Another image showed Am-heh standing on top of the broken and bleeding body of the Blue Eyes.

"Seeing it as his last chance, as Am-heh approached him to strike him down, Narmer reached out and took one of his fallen soldier's spears. A spear soaked in the blood of thousands of men. He stabbed Am-heh in the chest with it, trapping him into a wall of bodies that he had created. It was then that the messenger of the gods appeared, bringing with it the method to stop Am-heh once and for all." A shadowed figure now stood by Narmer's side, and cauldrons bubbled around them.

"It was a secret brought by this messenger that was written down shortly thereafter into a book that provided information on shadow magic. The corpses of the slain soldiers were smelted with gold to create chains that would bind Am-heh, and the spear was coated it in it as well. Thus he was trapped, unable to move or remove the spear that kept his wound opened and him weakened." The next image showed Am-heh tied down by golden bands on his legs and arms, with the spear sticking out of his belly.

"Am-heh was unkillable, that much was certain. But it turned out that while keeping him weakened by the spear was all that kept him in his chains it had a terrible side effect. Am-heh's blood continued to flow without end, and any who came into contact with it were driven insane and became murdering animals. Any touched by this blood had to be put down before they could deal too much damage." Alice shivered; finally understand the brutal acts she had seen earlier on. Those were the works of people affected by Am-heh's blood.

"So what did they do?" Isis immediately motioned to the walls that surrounded them, and at the door behind her.

"In order to keep Am-heh's blood from causing future chaos, and to prevent him from ever being free, the people of the now united Egypt created this tomb, protected by powerful magics. They buried it deep beneath the earth, with Am-heh at the farthest depths of it, guarded by a powerful spirit born of those Am-heh had slaughtered on the battlefield. That is what this is, the Forbidden Tomb, the Tomb of Am-heh." All three of them couldn't help but shiver, just knowing that they were in the prison of a terribly evil and powerful creature.

"So, why exactly are we here? I can't see how being in the tomb of some uber-evil freak is a good thing. We're not here to set Am-heh free, that's for certain." Isis smiled slightly and nodded. She gestured for Alice to come closer, and when the blonde girl did she held up the slim knife again.

"I'll need your blood to open this door. Before you enter the next room I'll explain. We've come because deep within this tomb is a pool of Am-heh's blood, the only amount of it ever successfully purified. It is now called the Well of Lost Memories. It provides a link to secrets of the past that could tell us how to stop a certain evil in its tracks once and for all." Understanding that this was important to the world, Alice freely extended her hand and let it be pricked again.

Once the blood was at the tip of her finger she reached out and dragged it against the wall. It shook, and then rolled aside, heading off into darkness. "So, let's get on our way and get to this Well of Lost Memories."

She started walking forwards, but stopped when she realized that she wasn't be followed. "Umm…how come you guys aren't coming with me? Shouldn't we get going?"

Isis and Rishid exchanged sad glances, and then finally looked at her again. This time it was Rishid who explained. "I must apologize Alice, but your blood is the reason you are here. The spirit that guards Am-heh will only allow us to pass if the one whose blood opened the way can defeat him in a Darkness Game. Only you can move on to defeat this guardian spirit."

The blonde gulped, looking back into the darkness. Waiting somewhere in there was a powerful spirit born of slaughtered soldiers. A spirit that she had to beat in a Darkness Game before they could reach the Well of Lost Memories. "What happens if I lose?"

"Then your soul is incorporated into the guardian, further increasing his strength. Your body will whither and rot away without the soul to hold it together. That is the fate that awaits you if you should lose." Rishid's face was completely serious, so Alice knew he wasn't kidding at all.

Girding herself, Alice stepped to the edge of the darkness. "Well…wish me luck." She stepped into the darkness and was out of view in seconds, leaving Isis and Rishid standing at the edge.

Isis bowed her head, feeling horrible for what she had just done. "Good luck."

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Alice felt a chill run up her spine as she looked around. The room she was in now appeared to be fully lit, and it was filled with carvings of thousands of different men, each one looking different than the previous. "Wow…what is this place?"

"This is my chamber, and these are the men who died at the hands of Am-heh in the final battle, the men whose fallen spirits were used to create me. I am the guardian of Am-heh, and you, who are pure, have trespassed. The Darkness Game shall now begin!" Appearing out of nowhere, standing a dozen or more feet away from her, was a tall Egyptian man in ancient armor, dressed like all those others.

He had on what looked like a bronze breastplate, and had a little goatee that extended down from his chin. "Now, bring forth your Ka so that we might do battle like honorable warriors."

Alice paused, her hand just shy of pressing the activation button on her DD3. "Err…Ka? I thought we were going to duel."

The man looked at the object on her arm, appearing a bit confused. "I see. So the method in which Darkness Games are fought has changed since the last time someone entered this tomb. Very well, the darkness will impart me with what I need as always."

There was a flicker, and suddenly motes of light shot out from individual pictures in the wall, gathering around the man and his outstretched left arm. Moments later a golden DD3 was on his arm, a deck in place. "Thank you spirits of the past for giving me the knowledge I need for this game. Let it begin!"

Alice activated her duel disk and slid five cards off of it immediately. But just as her opponent was reaching for his deck she realized something. "Say…what am I supposed to call you anyways? I'm Alice Terry." (ALP: 4000)

He paused in the process of drawing his cards, and then came up with an answer. "I have no name. Simply refer to me however you wish."

"Oh for Pete's sake! Sheesh, I'll call you Steve if you can't come up with your own name." The man arched an eyebrow, looking rather indignant about the name.

"I do not know this Pete deity of yours, but this name 'Steve'…it does not feel suiting. If that is the name you would give me, I would prefer you merely call me Guardian. Now, let the duel begin." He finished the motion of drawing his five cards, and then Alice drew her sixth. (GLP: 4000)

Alice scanned her cards, her mind going back to her days at the Duelist Academy in that other dimension, and her time as a junior member of the Underworld of Dueling. But most of all, she thought about everything her senpai had taught her. "I start off by summoning Atomic Soldier(1600/1200) in attack mode!"

A muscular man in green army fatigues appeared in front of her, a backpack strapped to his back with the nuclear warning sign on it. "I'll play one card face down. Go ahead Guardian."

Guardian drew and held up the drawn card. "Purge lets me destroy one card on the field when activated. However, if I have no cards in play it instead destroys two cards. So Atomic Soldier and your face down card are destroyed."

Alice gasped as both of her cards were blown apart in mere seconds. But her shock was turned to a grin as remaining in place of Atomic Soldier was a floating globe of energy. "When destroy by an effect Atomic Soldier's secondary effect activates, dealing you seven hundred damage!"

The energy sphere shot straight at Guardian, exploded against his bronze breastplate. But Guardian was made up of fallen warriors, and was not so easily harmed. He didn't even flinch or budge upon the impact and explosion. "Despite the damage, the field is mine." (GLP: 3300)

The blonde girl was well aware of that fact. Her field was empty after just one card from her opponent. And it looked like he was making his move. "I set a monster in defense mode. Next I'll bring it into attack mode by playing Book of Taiyou, which lets me flip one face down monster into face-up attack mode."

A royal looking zombie guard formed from the face down card, holding its weapon in preparation. "This is Royal Keeper(1600/1700). When flipped its effect activates, making it gain three hundred attack and defense points. Now, Royal Keeper attacks directly!"

Alice screamed as the blade slashed across her arm, drawing blood. She grabbed at the wound, horrified that it had been a real cut. "That was a strike to show you what this Darkness Game is capable of. Next time I will not be lenient. End turn." (ALP: 2100)

Despite his simplistic words, the move wasn't that simple. As he finished his turn the Guardian slid a card face down into his duel disk, and then Keeper vanished, replaced by a horizontal brown backed card. "Royal Keeper can be flipped face down once per turn."

She grimaced, realizing what he intended. By flipping it back down that meant she had to get a monster out of over two thousand attack points if she intended to destroy it. And if she didn't then he'd just flip it up in his turn and boost it up to nineteen hundred attack points. "My turn, draw!"

When she saw the card she had drawn, she immediately look at one of the other cards she was holding. There it was, a combo perfect for showing this guy what she was made of. "I activate the continuous magic card Hydrogen Fuel Cell! When this card is in play all monsters with 'atom', 'nuclear', or 'radioactive' in their names gain three hundred attack and defense!"

A giant chrome sphere now floated on her field, granting power to whatever she would summon. "Don't worry about that power boost, because its other effect is what you should worry about. When destroyed it takes out every card in play. So I activate my own Cyclone to destroy it!"

A burst of lightning strike the hydrogen fuel cell, and it began to shake. Then it exploded, encompassing the field with a blinding light. "Ha! There goes your field, opening the path to my victory!"

Her joy was crushed when his field returned to sight, showing a face down monster still there. Guardian pointed to his now face-up trap card, obviously the culprit. "When activated the trap card Offering of Self lets me send cards off the top of my deck equal to half the level of monsters on my field to keep them from being destroyed."

Two cards went to his grave, and then the trap card faded away, purpose served. "If I can't blow your field away, I'll at the very least put up a defense. I summon Radioactive Sludge(1000/1000) to the field!"

A glowing green lump of…something, now sat on Alice's field, oozing. "By discard cards from my hand when summoned, Radioactive Sludge lets me summon others of its kind into play. So I discard both of my remaining cards to special summon the other two Radioactive Sludge in defense mode!"

With no other cards in her hand, she was done. Guardian drew, understanding what her plan had been. She would have destroyed his field, then summoned her Radioactive Sludge in attack. Using its effect she would have summoned the other two and done three direct attacks, reducing him to three hundred life points. "A good plan, even though it failed."

Guardian slapped down his most recently drawn card, and a towering monster appeared. It had an eye of hours in its face, and terrible claws. "This is Grave Ouja(1600/1200). When monsters are flip summoned on my field it deals you three hundred damage. So I flip summon Royal Keeper, increasing its attack by three hundred."

The zombie reappeared, its power boosting. Immediately after the newest monster fired a barbed spike from its hand, which Alice avoided by jumping to the side, letting it be buried in the wall. "You really were trying to kill me weren't you! Jerk…" (ALP: 1800)

"Your life is not important, this game is. Grave Ouja and Royal Keeper attack two of your sludges." Each monster lunged forwards and attacked the goo monsters, splattering them completely. Only radioactive waste was left on the field.

"When a Radioactive Sludge is destroyed I pick up one random card from my cemetery and add it to my hand. Since you destroyed two I get back two cards!" Two cards shot out of her graveyard, and she placed them back into her hand.

Guardian paused for a moment, and then pointed at Royal Keeper. It vanished, returning to face down position. "One card face down. End turn."

Alice drew her a card off her deck, and then smirked. "My mentor taught me that power is important in a duel, and planning ahead of time is great as well. So, guess what happens now? Hydrogen Fuel Cell activates!"

The permanent magic card of before reappeared, and Guardian's gaze immediately traveled to her hand. "It is highly unlikely that the other card you received at random is the card you need. Bluffing is pointless."

"Highly unlikely, but there it is anyways. Cyclone!" The hydrogen fuel cell detonated once again, and this time the blast took out every other card. When the field cleared the Radioactive Sludge was gone, as well as both of Guardian's monsters and his set card.

A card popped out of Alice's grave according to the effect of Radioactive Sludge, giving her two cards in hand. She looked at the card, and then tossed it onto the plate of her duel disk. "Atomic Soldier(1600/1200) is welcomed back, and he gives you a taste of direct attack power!"

The familiar soldier reappeared and planted his backpack into the ground. Then he slammed a button on the side of it and a blast of green light shot out of it, covering Guardian's field. He didn't move, but he did appear uncomfortable. "This…itches." (GLP: 1700)

Alice slipped her final card into her duel disk, and then pointed to Guardian. "It'll do more than itch pretty soon. Your turn!"

Guardian drew, and smiled. "Your strength is more impressive than I had given you credit for. So, allow me to begin again, this time with my full power. Magic card activates! Clean Slate takes all cards in my grave and shuffles them back into my deck!"

His cemetery ejected and he shuffled all of the cards back into his deck. Then he held up the remaining card in his hand. "Treasure of Slashing Life lets me draw till I hold five cards, then in five turns I discard my hand."

"Keeper of the Tomb(1800/1500) in attack mode. Attack Atomic Soldier!" A monster that looked exactly like he did appeared, and then launched itself directly at the weaker soldier. But Alice was ready for it.

"Activate trap card, Exposure to Radiation! This lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to destroy one monster on yours. Then I get to summon the radioactive version of my tributed monster! So we both lose monsters, and then I summon Radioactive Soldier(2100/1800)!" Both of their monsters faded away, to be replaced by a similar soldier, this one with glowing green skin and hollow eyes.

Guardian narrowed his eyes, then took two of his drawn cards and slid them into his duel disk. "Two cards face down. My turn now ends."

The moment Alice drew the soldier raised one fist and fired a blast of green energy which hit Guardian in the arm. "During my standby phase Radioactive Soldier deals one hundred damage to you for each monster in your grave." (GLP: 1600)

"Radioactive Soldier, attack him directly!" It raised its fists to launch another bolt of radioactive energy, but suddenly the ground beneath it collapsed and it fell onto waiting spikes, blowing apart. (ALP: 775)

"Chasm of Spikes activates when the opponent attacks. It destroys the attacking monster and inflicts a quarter that monster's attack as damage to the opponent's life points. Your efforts have failed." Alice smirked and snapped her fingers, and instantly a bolt of green energy shot out of the now closing pit and hit Guardian again. (GLP: 1500)

"When Radioactive Soldier is destroyed by an effect it also deals you one hundred damage for each monster in your grave. But he's not gone for good, because I play Irradiated Birth, summoning one monster from the grave that has 'radioactive' in its title!" Radioactive Soldier returned, glaring at Guardian.

With her hand empty and that move having taken her into her second main phase, Alice was done, giving the duel back over to Guardian. The ancient duelist drew, and then immediately his face down card flipped up. "Tomb Cleansing activates when it is the only card on my field. It sends all cards on your field to the cemetery, and deals one hundred damage to you for each lost card."

Alice grimaced as her monster faded away, leaving her with a totally empty field. _'No…with so few life points if he attacks me with anything at all I'm basically finished!'_ (ALP: 675, GLP: 1400)

"During the turn this card is activated I have no battle phase, so you are safe. I summon Guard of the Tomb(800/2200) in defense and place one card face down. End turn." A bulky man in bronze armor emerged, holding a heavy shield out in front of him. Behind him a card appeared.

She drew as fast as she could, her heart beating heavily in her chest. If she couldn't defend herself then she was finished in Guardian's next turn. So her drawn card would have to work. "I set a monster in defense mode. That's all I can do."

Once more it was Guardian's turn, and as soon as he had drawn his set card flipped up. "Reverse card open, Curse of the Tomb. This switches your set monster into attack mode and cuts its attack power in half."

A red haired man in pale blue robes with images of atoms on the white sleeves now stood in front of Alice, holding a staff out, indicating that it was a spellcaster. "Atom Sorcerer(500/1000) is now in attack mode with its attack points halved, just like your trap said."

"Guard of the Tomb, attack her monster." The bronze armored warrior shifted into attack mode and held up a spear. It pulled its arm back, and then hurled the spear at full strength. The spear stabbed Atom Sorcerer in the chest, and he shattered. (ALP: 375)

"When Atom Sorcerer dies I bring out four tokens. Proton Sorcerer(500/500), Neutron Sorcerer(500/500), Electron Sorcerer(500/500), and Quartz Sorcerer(500/500) all in defense mode!" Four monsters, each in different colored robes, now crouched on her field.

"Unimportant. After Guard of the Tomb deals life point damage you must send three monsters from your cemetery to the grave." Alice sighed and unlatched her deck, searching through it until she had chosen three monsters. Then she dumped them into the graveyard and replaced her deck in its position.

Alice watched Guardian carefully as he slid one of the last two cards in his hand into his duel disk, and then took the remaining cards and slipped it into his graveyard slot. "To activate this next card I discard one card from my hand. I have chosen Head of Tomb Construction(900/1400)."

The blonde girl gasped as behind Guardian hundreds of people wearing loincloths appeared, all of them working together and hacking away at stone, putting bricks in place. "My continuous magic card is Construction of the Tomb. In three turns this card will activate my ultimate field card, and if it activates in this manner it cannot be removed from play."

"So what happens if you get your field card?" Guardian glanced over his shoulder at the activity behind him, and then returned to look back at her, his face completely serious.

"When my field card activates, victory for you becomes impossible."

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Author's Notes: Hey you peoples! Been a little while since I updated her, so I'll explain. My other story I'm working on, Rising Star to Heaven, is a project I have to keep me relaxed and for when I'm not inspired with Twilight. Right now I'm totally inspired for Twilight and uninspired for Rising Star, so thus you got this chapter.

_Next Time: Even while Alice struggles against Guardian, trying to prove herself, another battle is about to begin. Deep in the mountains of Tibet is a secret sect of monks, one of whom has a power that could prove crucial to the gang's efforts to stop the apocalypse. Can Dalin and Hikari get the monk's aid for free, or is a test required?_

_See it all in, Sanctuary in the Sky!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: You'll learn more about Eramoros next time we take a peak at Kai and Takuya's efforts.

WolfGeneral: Yep, Duel Presences are cool. And Kedamono's is a doozy.

Black Death X: He is indeed pretty near unbeatable. And Takuya appreciates the compliment.

Blue-Eyes White Knight: Been a while since I've seen you in a review. Welcome back.

G.O.T. Nick: And thus, lo there was comic relief in the form of the immature blonde girl!

Darksoulkai: Welcome to the reviewer group. I hope you continue to enjoy my stories.


	15. Sanctuary in the Sky

Author's Note: Now, it's Dalin's turn to rock!

**Chapter Fourteen: In the Clouds**

Cold. That was the first thing that came to Hikari's mind at all times. They were in the mountains of Tibet, heading up to find a secret monastery, and it was very cold. So cold in fact that she was pretty sure if she cried, the tears would dry in her eyes before dropping. _'How come I got the mission with the guy who never talks and where it's colder than a witch's tit?'_

Up ahead of her, dressed in a heavy blue thermal jacket, much like hers, was Dalin. In the past five hours of searching he hadn't said a word, not even when they sat down to eat their rations. _'He's like a brick wall. Only it's harder to talk to him than it would be talk to a brick wall. What goes through his mind?'_

Dalin paused for a moment, tilting his head back and forth as if looking for something. He held up a hand, motioning for her to stop. Gladly she did so, hoping that the rest would bring her back up to full. _'Now what?'_

His goggled face seemed to be staring at something in the distance, something Hikari couldn't see. She idly considered that he was crazy, but knew that Dalin did this sort of weird thing all the time. He always seemed to know what he was doing, even if nobody else got it. _'I wonder what it's like being that guy.'_

To her surprise Dalin jumped backwards, and the area he had been standing in suddenly blew apart, snow spraying into the air. "Dalin!"

Again he gestured for her to be still, and he continued to stare into the distance. Then he brought his right arm so his forearm was right next to his head, and she heard the sound of bone hitting bone as Dalin's feet slid slightly backwards in the snow.

Dalin swung his left fist in a powerful arc towards the area his right arm was pointed at, and Hikari gasped as the snow in that area was immediately stirred up, then the movement vanished. _'It's an invisible foe!'_

She watched with trepidation as Dalin turned to his left and charged at impressive speeds, ducking his head at one moment and dropped to his hands, swinging a foot out. There was a sound from the area that went 'hup' and then Dalin pushed back onto his feet and was standing waiting again.

Dalin stood very still for a period of time that stretched into the minutes. Hikari began to wonder what either combatant was thinking, since neither seemed to be making a move. Of course she couldn't see the other fighter, so it was impossible to tell. "Dalin…what's happening?"

Immediately after she spoke Dalin snapped his arm out, his hand seeming to grab tight onto something. "Dealing with a pest. What is your business?"

Now that the warrior had been captured, Hikari could see what was there. Dalin had his hand wrapped around the throat of a figure dressed in an almost silvery material that seemed to blend into the area around them. "You were to be tested by order of the Master. We have tested the outer mettle, and it has proved strong."

Dalin released the warrior, who reached up and stripped his mask off. He was revealed as an Indian man, with no hair. "You are a monk of the Order of the Eye?"

"Indeed you are wise sir. The Master was correct about you, your wisdom and strength are vast. Please, follow me and I will take you to the monastery." Dalin gave the monk a brief bow and Hikari followed suit. Immediately the man started walking, and they followed.

Hikari walked up behind Dalin and looked him right in the eye. "How the heck do you do that sort of thing?"

He looked down at her with what she could have sworn was a smile. "Do what?"

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Dalin and Hikari walked through the halls of the monastery, their thermal jackets already having been taken away, leaving them in their normal clothes. Hikari wore blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt. Dalin on the other hand was dressed less warmly, wearing black cargo plants and a deep blue sleeveless t-shirt. _'He's crazy…'_

All around them were monks partaking in various different activities. They saw some undergoing physical labor, hauling buckets of water by supporting them individually on their wrists. Hikari whistled, impressed by the feats of strength. _'These guys could give the Shaolin Monks a run for their money.'_

Others were in seated positions, eyes closed and obviously meditating. But what shocked them most about some of the monks, was that they passed four of them engaging in a two on two duel. "Wow…monks dueling. Never thought I'd see that."

Their guide smiled, looking back at her in response. "Yes, the Master discovered the game long ago and suggested it as an exercise of focusing thought and body onto one goal. All the monks at this monastery are skilled at the game, some more so than others."

As they continued to walk, Hikari saw one of the monks point at one of the opposing players, and his Megarock Dragon(7500/0) shot straight towards the other monk. Immediately the partner triggered a set card, Negate Attack, to block it. _'They work well together.'_

Once they were past that they stood right in front of a set of double doors. "Beyond these doors is the Master. You may both enter, but should you attempt anything sinister, know that the monks of this order will put you down."

Then, with one last lukewarm smile, he opened the doors, allowing them to enter. Dalin marched through without a pause, but Hikari watched their guide for a few seconds before moving on. _'I don't like how easy this is. Something doesn't feel right.'_

She stopped when she realized that Dalin had stopped. The large man was looking at a small figure, seated cross legged on a cushion at the end of the room. "Lama, we come seeking your wisdom."

Guarded as the figure was by silken sheets that dropped down in front of him, it was hard to tell if the man was happy about being regarded with such honor. But they did hear a small chuckle. "Wisdom, such an antiquated term. I know nothing more than what is happening in the world, but I am seeking the righteous path to enlightment. I have to reach it. Please, call me Pema Khandro. I would be honored to grant my knowledge to you, the Sumatin."

Dalin didn't even blink at being addressed so, or the fact that this master monk knew his name. "Thank you for your kindness Pema Khandro. I would request to know the location of, or how to locate the being known as the Puppeteer."

"Ah, the Puppeteer. Such a crude name. Yes, I know how you may locate this being, however despite the fact that it is my honor to meet you, I cannot grant my knowledge so easily. Your outer mettle has been tested, but now I must test your inner mettle." Suddenly right in front of the area where the lama was sitting there appeared five giant brown-backed cards.

Hikari sighed, realizing exactly what this meant. The lama, Pema Khandro, wanted to test Dalin by dueling him before he could grant any knowledge. _'And this is where it stops being easy. Somehow I doubt this guy is going to be a wimp, but nobody can beat Dalin.' _(PLP: 4000)

Dalin didn't even pause before raising his empty left arm above his head. It glowed for a second, and there was a flurry of feathers around it. When the light faded there was a duel disk that seemed formed of angel's feathers on his arm, and it was in activated position. "I accept this test. Duel!" (DLP: 4000)

The champion duelist drew six cards, his eyes looking over all of them with the same deadly focus he gave to anything. He looked up at his opponent, almost as if evaluating the strength that could be found there. "I see. Very well then, I will fight in truth."

"Mercury, Angel of Wisdom(0/1700) in defense mode!" Crouching on Dalin's field, with blue wings wrapped around it protectively, was a blue skinned angel in blue robes. Held tight in the crook of Mercury's left arm was a tablet of some sort.

_'I haven't seen Dalin play that monster in a long time. But I guess it's always there. What sort of strategy does he have in mind involving it?'_ Hikari watched passively, knowing that no opponent could beat Dalin. She just had to wait, as it was only a matter of time.

"Set two cards. Turn end." Two cards appeared behind Mercury. Then a sixth card appeared in front of Pema Khandro. It was time for the lama to begin his turn.

Pema Khandro seemed to focus on one of the cards in particular, and it flipped around, showing its image to Dalin and Hikari. "Monk's Oath lets me add one monster from my deck or cemetery to my hand that has 'monk' in its title."

Immediately that card vanished and then was replaced by another card facing Pema. But it twisted around just like the previous one, and a tall man in monk's robes now stood crouched on Pema's field. "Summon Monk(800/1400) in defense mode. Summon Monk cannot be sacrificed."

Hikari was a bit surprised by the move, mostly because she hadn't been expecting monks to do battle with angels. "Dalin, if this monster can't be sacrificed, then why is it called 'summon monk'?"

"During each of Pema's turns the Summon Monk will let Pema special summon one level four or lower monster from his deck to the field." Even as he spoke another form was appearing on Pema's field. This one was an angel in armor, holding a long rifle in one hand.

"I special summon Seraphim Gunner(1800/1200). Seraphim Gunner gains three hundred attack and defense points for every angel in play, so thanks to Mercury it has twenty-one hundred attack points." Hikari grimaced, surprised that the monk had gotten a powerful monster out so easily, one that benefited from Dalin's own monsters. Of course Dalin didn't seem worried.

"Seraphim Gunner, Holy Shot!" The angel raised its weapon, took aim, and fired. A shining bullet erupted from the end of the rifle, heading directly at Mercury's forehead. If it hit then the monster would be blown away.

"Reverse card open! Draining Shield negates the attack and adds Seraphim Gunner's attack to my life points." A glowing wall covered Mercury, and the bullet was absorbed by it. Immediately Dalin's life point counter rose. (DLP: 6100)

"One card face down. End turn." One of the remaining five cards flickered, disappeared, and then reappeared as a card face down behind Seraphim Gunner. Two monsters, one quite powerful, and Pema still had four cards in hand. Hikari had to admit that she was impressed.

Dalin drew, his eyes going straight to the hidden monk's eyes. Once again Hikari got the feeling that Dalin was evaluating the situation. _'Okay, I know he's up to something. I can see it in his eyes.'_

"I activate Song of Angels. If I have an angel on the field, this card raises my life points by fifteen hundred." Mercury raised its head and began singing, the sound literally heavenly. Hikari felt her entire body relax as she was serenaded by that sound. (DLP: 7600)

Finally the song ended, and Hikari was left disappointed. On the other hand she was pretty happy with the results. _'It's only his second turn and Dalin already has nearly double his starting life points. All he needs now is Saturn and Sanctuary in the Sky and he's got the win.'_

The angel duelist selected another card from his hand and placed it into one of his open slots. It materialized next to his other set card, one to each side of Mercury. "End."

Yet another card formed in front of Pema Khandro, who appeared just as calm as Dalin. Immediately Pema's Summon Monk started glowing. "Summon Monk's effect now activates. I special summon Seraphim Sabre(1600/1500) in attack mode."

Another armored angel, this one holding a sword in his right hand, now stood on her field. "With a total of two other angels in play both of my Seraphims gains six hundred attack points."

The power of each of the monsters raised accordingly. Seraphim Sabre raises to twenty-two hundred while Seraphim Gunner went up to twenty-four hundred. Hikari grimaced, realizing the trouble. _'In just a few turns she's got two monsters with attack power that would make them equal to most level six monsters. Not good.'_

Pema gestured with his left hand to Seraphim Gunner, and the angelic monster shouldered his rifle and took aim at Mercury. "Seraphim Gunner will once again attempt to destroy Mercury. Attack with Holy Shot!"

The holy bullet erupted from the muzzle of the rifle, the bullet careening for Mercury's skull once more, intent on dealing deadly damage. "Reveal trap card, Energy Absorption! This trap card negates your attack!"

A line of red light shot out of Dalin's now face up trap card and the bullet was vaporized completely. Dalin snapped his fingers and the red line arched around and slammed into his duel disk. "Next I gain life points equal to half your monster's attack." (DLP: 8800)

Pema Khandro snapped his fingers and Seraphim Sabre raises his sword, wings outspread for an attack. "Seraphim Sabre will take up the job and destroy Mercury!"

Dalin raised one hand, palm out, and Seraphim Sabre richoted backwards, barely managing to stop before hitting Pema. "You didn't let me finish. The final aspect of Energy Absorption is that it ends the battle phase."

Pema bowed his head briefly, accepting this knowledge. "Very well then, I apologize for my impatience. Will you be activating any further cards?"

"No, that was my only chain. You are free to make whatever play you desire." The lama bowed again then pointed to one of the floating cards in front of him. It shimmered and appeared face down in front of him.

"One card set. Turn end." Hikari whistled, impressed by the lama's performance once again. He had created such a deadly force, and at the same time he still kept his hand at four cards. That was brilliant resource management.

While Dalin was drawing, Hikari couldn't help but wonder exactly what sort of opponent Pema Khandro was. _'He seems to be really powerful, but so far all he's done is swarm the field and manage his resources well. Is he holding back, or preparing something?'_

Next she looked over to Dalin, who appeared to be thinking his turn through. _'This is really weird. Dalin's only got that one weak angel in play, and a single set card. He's defended himself perfectly, and he's got a huge number of life points, but it seems odd that he's being so totally defensive. Is he planning something as well?'_

If they both were, then she could only come to one conclusion. The winner of the duel was the one that was capable of planning the farthest ahead, and countering the opponent's moves before hand. _'This is…if I'm right then this is like watching a chess game. And Dalin has memorized all the moves in the playbook.'_

With the three cards he was holding and the two cards on his field, Dalin appeared perfectly confident. "Allow me to begin by placing one card face down on my field."

Another card appeared next to the card he had placed on his first turn. The newest card was replacing first his Draining Shield, and then his Energy Absorption. _'As far as I know those were some of Dalin's best traps. He used them so early though.'_

"Next I summon a monk of my own. A monk who wishes to ascend to have. I summon Ascending Man(500/1200) in defense mode." A man in brown monk's robes now was sitting cross-legged on Dalin's field. Little white wings extended out from his back, nothing enough to give him lift.

Pema chuckled slightly at the sight of this monster. "Two different types of monks, that we are. The western monk and the eastern. Sadly there will be no theological discussion between these monks, only battle."

Dalin smiled that very slight smile he used, one that made you wonder if he was being sincere or not. A smile of confidence, and slight amusement. "Yes, that is a true pity. In fact, I can guarantee there will be battle with this monk of the west."

He held up the final card he had been holding. The card was obviously a magic card based on the color, and it showed an angel stepping in between a warrior and a peasant, taking a blade to the chest. "Magic card activates. Angel's Martyrdom. Until the standby phase of my next turn, I choose the target of all attacks on angels."

Hikari blinked, trying to figure out the meaning behind this play. _'I'm not sure I get it. Why play that card at all? I mean, it's not like there are a lot of choices for monsters to be attacked.'_

The angel duelist gave a brief nod to his opponent, indicating that his turn was done. In response a brand new card appeared amongst the four others floating in front of Pema. "My turn. Draw."

Summon Monk started glowing just like it had the past few turns. "Special effect activates. Summon Monk now lets me special summon Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000)!"

Another armored angel, this one holding a massive steel shield, now stood on Pema's field, greatly outnumbering the two angels on Dalin's field. "Now, since there are a total of five angels in play, each of my Seraphims gains twelve hundred attack and defense points."

Each of the three Seraphims started to glow with an inner light, the light linking together with all the other angels in play including Dalin's two monsters. Hikari looked on in awe as the attack scores of the monsters changed. _'Dalin…he's only increased the power of his enemy!'_

Seraphim Guardna raised its shield into the air, proudly displaying an attack score of twenty-two hundred. Seraphim Sabre held its blade up high, its attack points standing at a deadly twenty-eight hundred. Last but not least, Seraphim Gunner showed off a mighty three thousand attack. "My Seraphims' power up is complete."

"Quite impressive, I must admit. You have the perfect weapon to use against my deck, now don't you?" Dalin gave that minimal smile again, and in return Pema chuckled. Hikari just nibbled on her bottom lip, now feeling quite nervous.

_'I know Dalin is the best duelist in the world, but he still seems too calm. His own monsters are boosting the strength of Pema's monsters, so putting up a defensive wall only gives the enemy more strength. How do you get around something like that?'_ She clenched her fists, slightly annoyed that she was the only one nervous.

Pema pointed to Mercury, and Seraphim Guardna's shield started to glow brightly. "Seraphim Guardna will attack and destroy Mercury. Heaven's Shield!"

A blast of bright energy shot out of the shield, shooting straight for Mercury. However, to Hikari's great surprise the Ascending Man jumped in the path of the beam and was blown to pieces. "Just as it should be, the monk takes the fatal blow intended for his comrade."

"Yes, that is the true way of the monk. So you played Angel's Martyrdom so Ascending Man could intercept the attack? What was the reasoning for that?" Dalin held his hand out next to his deck in response, which started scanning his cards.

"When Ascending Man is destroyed in battle I may take one other Ascending Man from my deck and summon or set him on the field." The card popped out of his deck and he slapped it down on the duel plate, causing a new Ascending Man to appear.

Then, all of a sudden, light burst out of Dalin's graveyard to surround him. Dalin looked on calmly as his life points increased. "Also, when an Ascending Man is destroyed in battle I gain an additional five hundred life points." (DLP: 9300)

Pema laughed outright, sounding quite happy with the development. "Ah! Your play becomes clear to me at last. Truly impressive. Very well, I shall follow your directive and attack with Heaven's Blade!"

Seraphim Sabre launched itself at the next Ascending Man, its holy blade slashing apart the monk with great ease. However, seconds later it was replaced by another monk. As well as that, energy flowed from Dalin's grave to his duel disk. "The final Ascending Man appears." (DLP: 9800)

"I will destroy the final one, just as you wanted. Holy Shot!" The heavenly bullet tore into Ascending Man's chest, causing him to shatter into pixels. Since there were no more Ascending Men in Dalin's deck, all that happened was his life points went up. (DLP: 10300)

Hikari blinked, surprised at what she had seen. Despite the fact that Pema had known what would happen when an Ascending Man was destroyed he still continued to attack. "Wait, why continue to attack the Ascending Men when all you could do was help Dalin?"

Pema began to explain immediately. "It is simple. During his turn Sumatin played Angel's Martyrdom, allowing him to choose the targets of battle. With only three monsters worth attacking on my field in my turn, I could only attack his Ascending Men, whether by my choice or his. I chose to allow it to be my choice rather than be forced into an action."

Her eyes went wide, seeing how well Dalin had thought the move through. He had seen ahead of time that Pema would summon another Seraphim with great attack power, but wouldn't attack with Summon Monk. That let him set up the three monster barrier of Ascending Man to weather the assault and gain life points. _'Chalk another one up to Dalin.'_

Dalin coughed slightly, bringing attention back to the duel. When their focus was back where it should be he pointed to one of his two set cards, which flipped up. "I activate the trap card Life Pulse. When activated this card goes to the graveyard."

The card faded away, and he took it off his duel disk and slid it into the cemetery slot. "As long as this card is in the cemetery I gain five hundred life points for every card I draw outside of the draw phase."

"Clever Sumatin, you continue to prove yourself. Let your turn begin, for mine is over." Pema had ended the turn with a high number of cards in hand, just as before, while Dalin had no cards in his hand. That didn't look good to Hikari.

Dalin drew, then Mercury began to glow a deep blue color. "During my standby phase, if Mercury is in play and I had zero cards during the opponent's end phase, I may draw an additional card." Once again he drew.

As soon as he slid that second card off the top of his deck his graveyard started glowing, and his life point counter went up. "Thanks to Life Pulse and Mercury I now gain five hundred life points." (DLP: 10800)

The angel duelist looked over his two new cards before selecting one and placing it down on his duel disk. Immediately another blue skinned angel appeared, this one looking fiercer than Mercury. "Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0) is summoned."

Instantly bindings of light shot between it and the Seraphims, their attack points boosting up. "The presence of this new angel in place of Ascending Man restores each of my Seraphims up to their previous levels of attack held last turn."

"Yes, your Seraphim are truly powerful. However, your Summon Monk is as weak as ever. Pluto, attack Summon Monk with Radiance Flicker!" Pulse waves of energy shot out of Pluto's outstretched hands, aimed directly at Summon Monk.

Hikari bit her lip, hoping the attack made it through. _'If Summon Monk is destroyed then Pema won't be able to swarm the field anymore. That'll give Dalin a chance to recover and fight back!'_

However, not everything works out perfectly. One of Pema's two face down cards flipped up in reaction. "Trap card activates, Absolute End! This forces all attacks on me this turn to be direct attacks."

The waves of energy bypasses Summon Monk completely and struck Pema behind his curtains. However, a strange barrier of light appeared around him. "It is time you witness something Sumatin. The power of a truly strong foe. Duel Presence!" (PLP: 2500)

Suddenly the barrier that had surrounded Pema vanished and then reformed around Dalin. He looked at it in speculation, but before he could ask a question lightning shot from the barrier and into Dalin's body, making him convulse. Hikari watched in horror. "How can you do that?" (DLP: 9300)

Pema's voice was utterly calm as he replied. "That is my Duel Presence. Whenever I take direct damage from battle an equivalent amount of damage is dealt to the opponent. So since he damaged me, he faced the consequences."

The lightning strikes ended, and the barrier lifted. Dalin was left slightly scorched, but nevertheless appeared primarily unharmed. "Duel Presence? Very impressive ability. I assume it is an ability manifest purely by your own strength, and not by a card."

"Correct. Now, in concordance with the damage I have taken I will now activate the continuous trap card Healing Meditation. Whenever I take life point damage I can five hundred life points for every increment of one thousand involved. So I gain five hundred life points." His trap card pulsed, and then his life points went up. (PLP: 3000)

Dalin didn't seem deterred at all. "Despite this impressive ability you call a Duel Presence, the simple fact is that should I continue to attack directly I will win. I have three thousand life points to spare, you do not."

"Perhaps, but we still have much of a duel left to go. Continue your turn and we will see what happens from here." Dalin nodded, and then tucked his final card into the duel disk. Again he had two cards set and two monsters to defend himself with.

Another card appeared next to his previous ones, giving Pema a total of six, a full hand of cards. "Summon Monk, since it has survived, will fill my final monster zone. I special summon Seraphim Gunblader(1900/1200)!"

Another Seraphim, an angel in holy armor, took the field. This one had a long barreled gun in one hand, and a short sword in the other, obvious of his name. "Seraphim Gunblader shares the same effect as his brethren. Now, let them join their powers together!"

Each of the Seraphim's attack power rose, until they were all stronger than ever. Gunblader with thirty-four hundred, Gunner with thirty-three hundred, Sabre with thirty-one hundred, and Guardna with 2500. _'So strong…'_

"Now, in order to make way for more monsters, I play Ever Presence. This removes one monster on the field from the game, but keeps its effect in play. I remove Summon Monk from play!" The monk faded away, but appeared above the field, meditating.

Pema pointed to another of the cards floating in front of him, and it flipped around, moving forwards so that it was on the field. It was a magic card with the infinity sign at the top, indicating that it was a continuous magic card. "Activate permanent magic card, Sacrificing the Self."

Dalin nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I see. Your continuous magic card makes all attacks on you direct attacks. You perhaps intend to drain my life points with your Duel Presence?"

"Perhaps. But now, to continue with my attack. Seraphim Guardna(2500/3500), attack Mercury with Heaven's Shield!" Just like before the seraphim fired a blast of energy from its shield. The holy energy raced directly for the angel, ready to strike it down.

Seconds before impact a shining wall of light sprang up in front of Mercury and Pluto. The energy struck it and fizzled out. "The quick-play magic card Light Barrier prevents me from being attacked by monsters during this turn."

"Very well, if I can't deal any further damage this turn, I must end. But first, one card face down." One of his four remaining cards faded away, placed on the field in front of him. With just three cards left in his hand, his turn was over.

Dalin drew, and then Mercury's body started glowing, just as the cemetery did as well. "Once again since there were no cards in my hand during your hand phase Mercury lets me draw an additional card during my standby phase." (DLP: 9800)

He held up the two cards he was holding just for emphasis. Then he selected one and placed it on the plate of his angelic duel disk. "I summon Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0) in attack mode."

The yellow skin angel appeared, standing next to Pluto. "Now, because of Sacrificing the Self I now attack directly with Pluto and Uranus!"

Two waves of energy, one blue and the other yellow, shot past all of the seraphim on Pema's field and struck the lama, crashing against his barrier. "The effect of both my Duel Presence and Healing Meditation increases my life points and damages you." (PLP: 1200)

Energy formed around Dalin and started shocking him. This time however he stood completely still, his face a mask of utter calm. He was standing there like nothing was happening to him at all, and Hikari couldn't believe it. _'He's getting fried and he's perfectly fine.'_

When the lightning stopped, Dalin brushed dust off his sleeveless shirt, and then look back up at Pema. "Your Duel Presence is useful, but against me it won't help. It isn't merely that I have far more life points than you, but rather something more." (DLP: 6500)

The lama laughed with glee at Dalin's confidence. "Yes, I can truly see that you are far above normal men. However, I am no normal man either. Reveal quick-play magic card, Ascetic's Enlightenment! Because I took over three thousand direct damage, I draw four cards!"

Four cards appeared next to the three he previously had, giving him a total of seven. Neither duelist blinked, or made any sound for several seconds. Finally Dalin held up his other drawn card, and then slid it into his duel disk. "End turn."

An eight card formed next to the others, and then just like all the turns previous the Summon Monk started to glow. The only difference was that this time it wasn't in play. "Summon Monk now lets me special summon Seraphim Gunslinger(1700/1200) who shares his family's effect."

Massive rings of energy surged between the five Seraphim and the three angels on Dalin's field. The power was so great that the five Seraphim were now glowing with an intense inner light. "Reveal the power of Seraphim Guardna(3100/4100), Seraphim Sabre(3700/3600), Seraphim Gunslinger(3800/3300), Seraphim Gunner(3900/3500), and Seraphim Gunblader(4000/3300)!"

Under the same circumstances that Dalin was facing, Hikari knew she wouldn't be calm. She would be worried about her chances of survival, since every monster the opponent had was stronger than a Blue Eyes. _'Yet Dalin is just as calm as ever. I wish I could do that.'_

Seraphim Guardna raised its shield and leveled it at Uranus. "I will begin with your newest and strongest monster. Seraphim Guardna, strike Uranus down with your Heaven's Shield!" The bolt of energy fired out, intent on burning Uranus to ash.

Hikari waited expectantly, but she was caught off guard when the blast of holy power hit Uranus in the chest and blew him to pieces. "Dalin!" The sound of Dalin's life points trickling down was a shock to her, as this was the first time in the duel he had lost life points from battle. (DLP: 5200)

Seconds later Seraphim Sabre raised its sword and launched itself at Pluto. "Seraphim Sabre, eliminate Pluto with your Holy Blade Strike!" As it headed for Pluto, the blue skinned angel and its other blue skinned companion were staring at the spot where Uranus had stood.

Suddenly Pluto and Mercury began to sing, their heavenly voices reaching peaks that normal singers could never hope to touch. Seraphim Sabre slid to a stop, closing his eyes and tilting his head down. Pema couldn't help but be confused. "What's going on?"

As he watched each of his other Seraphim also dropped their heads down, lowering their weapons as well. Dalin calmly motioned with his right hand to one of his set cards, which was now face up. "Song for the Lost Angel activates when an angel is destroyed. It immediately ends the battle phase."

Pema sighed at having his assault once again thwarted. "Truly you are impressive. But such a defense is merely one time. What more can be done? There are only so many ways of defending your life points in your deck, and sooner or later you will run out."

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. Perhaps if I too have an army of angels then I can gain what I need to put an end to your army. So, I activate Army of Heaven! This card requires I sacrifice one angel in play, and I choose Pluto!" The blue skinned angel shattered, and four points of light descended from above, landing around Mercury.

"Now I may fill up my open zones with copies of one angel I have in play, effect included. So, with that effect, I gain four more Mercury, Angel of Wisdoms(0/1700 X5)!" The balls of light unfolded, revealing themselves as Mercury, each of them. Now Dalin had a grand total of five of the monsters in play.

Pema smiled behind the veil of cloth, truly impressed by the maneuver. He wasn't the only one, because Hikari couldn't help but jump for joy at the sight of the five angels. "I set three cards face down. That is all."

Three of his eight cards moved forwards until they were floating face down above the ground. It seemed odd, but he still had five cards in his hand despite that, once again showing his power. "Tell me Sumatin, what do you intend to do with this army of yours?"

The angel duelist paused, two fingers on the top card of his deck. He looked up at Pema, his eyes hard as diamonds, and the corner of his lips tilted up. "I intend to unleash the wrath of heaven upon you."

Then he drew.

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Author's Notes: I would have had this posted a bit earlier, but I chose to have a duel with a friend, and then go eat pizza and watch Reservoir Dogs which was fun. So, there you have it.

_Next Time: Dalin is prepared to unleash his strength against Pema Khandro, while everyone else is busy in their respective missions. But the only one unaware of these missions is Kirani. She returns to the apartment she shared with Drake to find something, but instead must confront her past._

_See it all in, The Family Secret!_

_Review Response_

Darksoulkai: Knowing those two as I do, I can probably say that our visions would clash if we tried to write a fic together. However, if we did gather our wits about us and truly devise a story it would rock the very foundations of Or something like that.

Time Mage: I can only answer one of those questions for you at this time. To the first conspiracy theory. Yes, the book written was the Millennium Spellbook.

WolfGeneral: I considered the 'Yamidra' type thing, but the urge to have a gold duel disk was too strong. I failed to resist temptation…

Black Death X: The Dark Spirit? Why you'll just have to wait and see.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, he's also quite confident in here.


	16. The Family Secret

Author's Note: Let's check in on Kirani shall we?

**Chapter Fifteen: The Family Secret**

Sadness. Nobody enjoys feeling sad, even though some people enjoy causing sadness in others. Kirani Kajika, young woman in her mid-twenties, was not such a person. Which was exactly why she felt horrible.

She had heard Drake, she had done it deliberately, knowing exactly how he would feel when she left. She had known that it was necessary, that she had to leave for many complicated reasons. But even knowing that it had to be done didn't make it right.

He was a good person, despite his past and things he had done. It was like he had been cursed to suffer, experiencing the worst aspects of life as well as some of the best. When she had first met him though, he had been a lot different when he was now.

Kirani smiled slightly, remembering the very first time they met.

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_Kirani heard the door open up, and someone walked into the room. Immediately, knowing who it was, she flicked the light on. The lights sprang on, and the person who had just entered flung his arms up to shield his eyes from the light. She smiled underneath her Rare Hunter hood._

_Finally the teen recovered from the light, lowering his arms to give her a good look at him. He was about sixteen, and fairly tall with a lithe build and apparently plenty of muscle. He had wild reddish brown hair and vivid violet eyes. He was pretty good looking, in a scruffy punk way. _

_He looked up at her and smirked. "I got the Blue Eyes, so I guess that means I'm a Rare Hunter now, right? All official and everything?"_

_Kirani couldn't help but laugh at the way he spoke. His manner of speaking was crude and rude, it was obvious he didn't have respect for most people. Somehow that just seemed funny to her. _'_I'm supposed to tell him he's accepted and take the Blue Eyes, but I've got a better idea.'_

_"You might have gained the approval of the others, but I won't accept you until you've proven yourself a Rare Hunter of true skill. One like me, with the Blue Eyes you're about to give me." The outraged look on his face was just perfect._

_"What? This is bullshit! I did everything I was told, and now I'm being challenged to a duel by another Rare Hunter who doesn't think I'm up to snuff? That and I have to give her that is you, the Blue Eyes I won?" In response she tossed back her hood, stopping herself from laugh at the shocked look on his face when he saw her._

_"Ready Drake?" The teen grimaced and stepped up onto his side of the Duel Platform, then transferred the Blue Eyes to her side. Immediately she shuffled it up into her deck, then both of them slammed their decks down. (DLP: 2000, KLP: 2000)_

_He smirked and drew five cards, looking back up at her. "Absolutely."_

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He had been crude back then, and a brash tough teenager. However, when push came to shove he had proven himself to be strong and willing to take risks for those he cared about. He began to mature, until he eventually became the strong passionate and honorable man that he was today. _'And I'm so sorry for hurting you Drake, but it had to be done.'_

She could still remember back in Battle City when she was first aware of his crush on her. She was a year and a half older than he was, so it wasn't even something she contemplated back then. She had been eighteen, and he just sixteen. He also wasn't her type, but his crush was flattering.

Despite her first impressions of him, expecting him not to care about anyone, she was surprised to learn that he was furious with Malik for putting the Rare Hunters who had trusted and followed him through such hell. That was when her opinion of him began to change.

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_Kirani had gone to Drake's room on the Kaiba Craft, the poorly named blimp, in order to ask him his opinions about taking down the god cards and Malik. What she discovered when she silently opened the door wasn't what she had been expecting._

_Drake was staring hard at his cards, his fists clenched tight. She could see how hard he was concentrating, and it seemed strange to her that the brash teenager she had thought she knew could show so much deadly focus. "Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?"_

_The teen jerked his head up, and his eyes softened immediately, his lips turning up from a flat line into his customary grin. "I'm thinking about the upcoming duels. Things like the god cards and…Malik."_

_Both of them bowed their heads in honor of the Rare Hunters who had suffered because of the insane teenager. They were good people, despite their profession. They did what they needed to do with the job they had and the skills they possessed. 'It really bothers him…it's eating away at him.'_

_Knowing that she needed to get Drake to relax or have him do something stupid, Kirani jumped on the first thing that came to mind. "Looks…let's focus on something a bit lighter for now. We could both do with a little relaxation. I hear they have a buffet our there, want to check it out?"_

_The teen grinned like an idiot and hopped to his feet, snagging his leather jacket off his chair. Together they walked out of the room, smiling and laughing. Before they reached the elevator, Kirani felt she had to say something. "Drake…I was wrong about you."_

_"Huh? What do you mean?" He genuinely looked confused, and Kirani found that somehow endearing._

_"The way I was thinking about you, I was wrong. I'm sorry about that, I thought you were just some selfish punk. A jerk who didn't care about anyone other than himself. But really, you're a good caring person." She smiled at him, but was surprised when he looked away._

_"No…you were right. I'm not a good person." Immediately she reached out and jerked his head around so he was looking at her._

_"Don't say you're a bad person. The fact that you care that other people have been hurt…that says you're not selfish. So please, don't look down on yourself, okay?" Drake stared at for several seconds, and then finally nodded slowly._

_"Okay then. Now come on, there's food waiting for us."_

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Of course at the time neither of them had been aware that the real threat on the blimp was not Malik, but rather the psychotic evil spirit possessed fifteen year old named Taichi Nobuki. When she had her soul taken, he had been enraged and gone after Taichi with a vengeance.

After that whole situation they had parted ways, but began to see each other quite often after a little while. They got to know each other better and her opinion of him continued to change. Then the situation with Eikyuu erupted, and it seemed like she wouldn't get a chance to tell him how she had come to feel. She had fallen in love with that brash but passionate teenager.

She had been forced to face Taichi Nobuki, and she had found herself paralyzed by hidden terror of the person responsible from taking her soul and nearly killing her. He had proven himself to be a disgusting psychotic little freak, and she had been sure she would remain forever trapped in her own fears…but the part of Drake's soul that was always with her helped her get over her fear.

It was that aspect of Drake, his love for her, that had continued to shine through for her in her struggles. It had helped her defeat Taichi, and most recently it had helped her defeat the darkest aspects of himself. _'He's changed but…he still punishes himself for everything.'_

Now, here she was, after crushing his spirit, back at where they had previously been. She was standing outside the door that would lead into their joint apartment and finding herself unable to open the door. "Come on Kirani, it's just a door."

After a bit more effort at mentally berating herself she placed her hand on the door and pushed it open. The apartment was exactly as they had left it, all the way to the open Ramen package on the counter. "Why am I here anyways?"

"You know, I sort of wondered about that myself. What are you doing back here?" Kirani's eyes widened and she fumbled for the light switch. When she hit it, the faces she saw sitting on the couch in the living room were faces she hadn't seen in years.

"Tokuha…what are you doing here?" Sitting in the center, the one who had spoken was an older man, looking about in his late twenties. He had light brown hair and bright blue eyes, and a very professional look about him, including the black and white suit he was wearing.

"You know why I'm hear Kirani, otherwise you wouldn't have sent your boyfriend away. You've been expecting us for some time now. You're done neglecting your duties, and it's time for you to do what you were meant to do." The two women sitting next to him, one on each side, each smirked.

Kirani grimaced. It was true, she had been expecting them to come, but that wasn't her only reason for leaving Drake. "Tokuha, I told you and everyone else that I wasn't going to have anything to do with you anymore. I don't want to be a tool for all of you, to be a tool like the rest of you."

The older looking woman, who appeared just a few years older than Kirani, jumped to her feet, looking furious. Her dark brown hung in braid over her shoulder, and her dark blue eyes burned into Kirani's eyes. "You neglect the duties you were born into! You disrespect all of us, you disrespect your family!"

Tokuha raised a hand in a calming gesture, and the woman sat back down to a giggle from the younger girl. "Miyuki, such outbursts are unnecessary. As The Enforcer you should know better than to use violence unless necessary."

Kirani grimaced and made a slashing motion with her left hand. "This is exactly why I left ten years ago! It's all about our duties, and never about being actual family! You don't even think of her as Miyuki, your younger sister, you just think of her as her position, The Enforcer! So what am I to you, The Watcher, just as always?"

Tokuha frowned, but didn't seem to be overly bothered. "I think of you as Kirani, my younger sister, and also as The Watcher. It's your duty to watch for the two Pillars of Creation, just as it is my duty as The Envoy, to act as a messenger between the family."

She sighed and lowered herself into the chair that sat facing her three siblings. "The Kajika family is always about duty, always about the Pillars of Creation. You know I didn't want that, I didn't want that burden. I wanted to be a regular girl and lead a regular life, not be someone with a duty and a destiny."

The final sibling, the youngest, finally spoke up. She was young, not even in her twenties yet, and had long wavy hair that was so light brown as to almost be blonde, and her eyes were as rich a blue color as Kirani's own eyes. "So really sis, you just wanted to have some fun. I can understand that, and it looks like you've had some fun, what with that hunk boyfriend of yours."

"Don't talk about him, you don't have the right Satsuki. How can you be part of this at all? You've never gotten a chance to be a real teenager; you've always been The Key. You were just a little girl when I left, a little girl who didn't want this anymore than I did. What's happened?" Satsuki smirked, flipping her hair out over her shoulder.

"I learned, unlike you, that there are things that have to be done. Besides, how many girls grow up knowing that they are destined to unlock the power of the Pillars of Creation, the most powerful force in existence? Just me, that's who. So, show me the way to the Pillars Kirani, and maybe I'll show you how to really take care of a man." The teenager smirked, running a hand through her wavy tresses, much to Kirani's irritation.

"You don't know anything Satsuki! You're just a little girl, a seventeen year old who doesn't know any better! This isn't destiny, it's stupidity! A family that has for thousands of years clung to this stupid belief with nothing showing us that it makes any difference? What purpose does it serve to drive every member of this family into the ground when the Pillars of Creation may not even exist!" The two women were up and in each others faces, sparks flying.

Tokuha groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Satsuki, Kirani, sit down both of you. This isn't the time for a spat between siblings. We've got some discussion to make, and we need Kirani to come along with us peacefully to do what has to be done."

"I won't be going anywhere Tokuha. I have no intention of it. Now get out of my home you uptight jackass!" The stinging of her cheek came to a surprise to Kirani, and she shook her head to clear away the spots. When she focused again, she saw that it was Satsuki who had slapped her.

Satsuki looked furious. "You can't talk about elder brother like that! You haven't been here at all, you're the one who doesn't know anything about this family! Now…you'll come with us, even if I have to force you to do so."

"Force me? What do you think you'll do to force me into coming with you?" Satsuki smirked and raised her left arm, revealing a silvery DD3, which was already clicking into position. At the same time the area around them pulsed, into they were surrounded by endless darkness. (SLP: 8000)

"A Darkness Game, that's how, extended for you to feel the humiliation. Now come on big sister, let me show you what your little sister has learned in the ten years you've been gone. I was just seven when you left, but now I'm all grown up, and I'll show you that I'm the better sister!" She drew six cards from her deck, and waited for Kirani to draw her own cards.

Kirani grimaced, casting a glance over Satsuki's shoulder. Indeed, nobody was included in the Darkness Game but them. That meant that Tokuha and Miyuki couldn't be voices of reason for their impulsive younger sibling. "Fine Satsuki, let's get this over with." (KLP: 8000)

Satsuki held up one of her six cards, and then slid it into the graveyard. "Call in the Cavalry when played goes to the cemetery. Its effect triggers from the cemetery under certain circumstances, but you won't have to worry about that yet."

She smirked and picked up another card from her hand, holding it between two fingers. "Sister, I'm going to show you monsters who are true warriors, not like your Gilfords. A monster who, throughout his life, was rival to Gilford. Yet despite that, he never required the power of lightning to match his rival."

Kirani blinked, surprised by the description. She had never heard of any rival to Gilford in all her time as a duelist. "Fine, show me this rival to Gilford."

"I will! I summon you, Gaia, Knight of Twin Swords(1700/1500)!" The holographic image of a knight in blue and red armor appeared in front of Satsuki. It looked a lot like Gaia the Fierce Knight, but without a mount and the two lances. Instead this knight carried two long swords, one in each hand.

Kirani quirked an eyebrow, surprised at the appearance of the monster. "Gaia? Like Gaia the Fierce Knight, or Swift Gaia? You're saying that Gaia is the rival to Gilford?"

"That's right! Now, I set one card face down and challenge you to come meet your rival in battle!" Satsuki looked so completely confident that Kirani felt like laughing. But she knew her little sister was dead serious about using the Darkness Game to force her to go with them.

Kirani drew and glanced down at her hand of cards. After a quick look she figured it would be best to start defensively. "I set one monster and one magic or trap card. Turn end."

Satsuki giggled even as she drew. "That's the best you can do? Well let me tell you now, that Knight of Twin Swords can attack twice if I have another Gaia in play. So, I summon Gaia, Knight of the Tempest(1000/1000)!"

Another version of Gaia strode out of his card, this one wearing fanciful armor with gold gilded into it. He also held a dark red handled sword, much in the style of Breaker's weapon. "When this monster is normal summoned I destroy one magic or trap on your field for every monster in play with 'Gaia' and 'Knight' in its name! So your only set card is gone!"

Knight of the Tempest swung his blade, and a fierce blast of wind shot out of it, heading straight for the set card. But Kirani was ready. "Instead of letting it be destroyed I'll trigger it! Raigeki Break lets me discard one card from my hand to destroy one card on your field!"

A bolt of lightning shot out from the trap and slammed into Knight of Twin Swords. He screamed in pain, and then exploded into pixels, leaving Knight of the Tempest alone on the field of battle. Satsuki pouted at seeing her monster destroyed. "Fine, if that's the way you'll play it I'll just end my turn."

The elder of the two sisters drew, and then pointed to her set monster. Immediately it shimmered into view, showing an older man in white and blue armor. "Wise One Gilford(700/500) when flipped lets me add one magic card from my deck to my hand!"

A card ejected from her deck and she caught it, then held it out over her hand. "Enter the Storm activates! I pay one thousand life points to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to the field, though he cannot attack this turn!" (KLP: 7000)

Her mightiest monster, the cornerstone of her deck, descended from above as a bolt of lightning. He stretched in his shining armor and then reached up one strong hand to the hilt of his sword. "Enter the Storm treats Gilford as if three monsters were tributed to summon him. So, his effect activates! Raigeki Blade!"

Satsuki threw up her hands in defense as Gilford unsheathed his sword, sending a powerful blast of lightning across the field. The lightning arched through Knight of the Tempest and he was no more. "Lucky for you he can't attack this turn."

The younger sister grimaced as she watched her elder sister toss another card out onto the field. "Child of the Storm-Gilford(1200/800) comes out to play! And he'll attack you directly!"

A much younger version of Gilford appeared next to the older form, wearing very light armor, and looking to be about twelve. Immediately he swung his sword, a small thing barely able to count as a sword, and a tiny shot of lightning struck Satsuki. "Little runt…" (SLP: 6800)

Wise One Gilford started to pop his joints out, and then picked up the sheathed blade that had been sitting in his lap. It was the same weapon that Gilford the Lightning carried, what he had carried when he was still Gilford the Lightning, but it looked big against his weakened and elderly form. "Wise One Gilford, direct attack!"

To Satsuki's surprise the old duel monster snapped the blade out of its sheath with as much precision as Gilford the Lightning had, proving that even in his old age he still possessed the same skill. A bolt of lightning struck Satsuki, dropping her to the ground, her clothing smoking. "He'll pay for that as well." (SLP: 6100)

"Talk talk talk, that's all I'm hearing from you Satsuki. Step up your game or big sister is going to walk all over you. Now, turn end!" She slid a final card into her duel disk, and then nodded to her younger sister.

Satsuki drew, and then smirked at what she saw amongst the four cards in her hand. Kirani frowned, wondering just what her little sister was planning. "In order to fight back against the power of the lightning, Gaia knew he had to grow stronger. So he decided to travel."

The younger girl picked up three of the cards she was holding, and fiddled with the one in the middle. "In his travels he came across many dangerous beasts, and fought until he gained greater strength. But once in his travels he encountered a deadly creature that he could not defeat in direct battle, a creature of great magnificence that he couldn't slay without feeling horrible."

Slowly the teenage girl began to twist that one card around. "That creature was a mighty dragon, and instead of slaying the deadly beast, Gaia knew what to do. To defeat a warrior who had gained power in the sky, the power of the lightning, he would take flight! So, with great difficulty, he tamed that dragon."

Kirani's eyes narrowed as she realized just what Satsuki was getting at. Satsuki smirked and finished flipping the card around, but to Kirani's surprise it wasn't a Polymerization. "In honor of Gaia's efforts I play Taming the Dragon Mount! I must discard one card from my hand and send a Gaia the Fierce Knight(2300/2100) from my hand or field to the grave to activate it!"

She flipped the other two cards around, showing that one of them was indeed Gaia the Fierce Knight. Then she slid all three cards into the grave and suddenly two monsters appeared on the field. One of them was Curse of Dragon(2000/1600), hunkering over fallen prey. The other was Gaia the Fierce Knight, without his regular mount.

As Kirani and Satsuki watched, Gaia approached the deadly dragon, holding his hand out in a calming way. The dragon tilted its head up, staring at Gaia, looking rather irritated by the presence. Gaia whistled, still slowly approaching. The dragon didn't bother to move, instead it still watched Gaia carefully. "Are all these holographic sequences so long?"

"Shut up and watch!" And so they did, as Gaia finally finished the approach and placed his hand upon Curse of Dragon's head. The dragon bowed its head, and Gaia mounted it. Together they took to the sky, striking a sudden pose.

"Thanks to my card, I've now summoned Gaia the Dragon Champion(2600/2300) from my fusion deck to the field! But that's not all, because look at how many cards I have in hand." Kirani looked, and saw that Satsuki was holding just one card in her hand.

"Since I haven't summoned this turn, and since it's the only card in my hand, I'll normal summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight(2300/2100) without tribute! And now the effect of Call in the Cavalry activates! Since I normal summoned a monster with 'gaia' and 'knight' in its title to empty my hand, I now get to draw two cards!" She drew twice, slightly replenishing her hand.

She looked at the cards, and then slipped one into her duel disk, right below the space that Swift Gaia was occupying. "I equip Swift Gaia with Gaia's Twin Lances, which equip to a monster with 'gaia' and 'knight' in its title and increases its attack by seven hundred!"

Nothing happened at all to the monster, since it was already holding two lances. Instead its attack score rose until it was higher than Gilford's. "Gaia the Dragon Champion, take to the sky and destroy Wise One Gilford!"

The dragon moutned knight flew high into the air, and then threw a lance straight down at the elderly duel monster. At the same time the Curse of Dragon opened its mouth and shot a stream of flame down at the monster. Wise One Gilford was blown away. "Got my revenge didn't I?" (KLP: 5100)

When Kirani didn't respond, Satsuki pouted, but then that instantly transformed to a look of victory. "Next I'll get rid of your strongest monster. Swift Gaia, slay your rival! Whirlwind Lance Strike!"

Swift Gaia began pounding across the field on his horse, one lance raised and ready to strike. "Gaia won't even get close because Gilford is guarded by the power of the storm! Reverse card open, Storm Barrier! This destroys your attacking monster and inflicts seven hundred damage to your life points!"

Swift Gaia's charge led it straight into a wall of electricity, and he and the horse let out one pitiful cry before shattering into tiny little holographic pixels. Satsuki punched a hand into her thigh, looking frustrated. "Damn! And the Twin Lances would have protected him from being destroyed in battle too." (SLP: 5400)

With little else to do, Satsuki took her last card and slipped it onto her duel disk. "That card face down. Go ahead Kirani, let's see if you can fight back against me effectively. Just know that Gaia will crush Gilford in the end."

Kirani drew, and then slammed the drawn card down. "Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) in attack mode! Now I draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom!" She drew the two required cards, giving her four in hand.

"Gilford, attack Gaia the Dragon Champion with Thunderbolt Cut!" A streak of lightning slammed into the dragon mounted knight. Although the two monsters seemed to struggle against it, eventually they succumbed and blew apart. (SLP: 5200)

"Now, Gilford of Thunder attacks you directly!" The smaller Gilford raised his sword and jumped for Satsuki, the blade pointed directly at her chest. She gasped, and then suddenly Gaia appeared out of nowhere and blocked the strike with his lance.

"Thank you for defending me Gaia. Here is a token of my appreciation." She held up a handkerchief, and the fierce knight took it, giving her a bow. Then he spurred his mount and road away, vanishing into the darkness.

Kirani looked at her younger sister blankly, and then at the space where the knight had vanished into. "What…what the heck was that?"

"That was my trap card, Fierce, But Chivalrous. It negates one direct attack against me and lets me add a monster with 'gaia' and 'knight' from my deck to my hand." She popped her deck out, and then flipped through it until she found what she wanted.

"Fine, but that's just a one time thing. Child of the Storm, give it a shot!" This time, when Child of the Storm fired its minimal attack, the damage was there and Satsuki could only shudder as she took the hit, despite the fact that it wasn't as strong as some others. (SLP: 4000)

"You see Satsuki? Had you not upped our life points you would have already lost. You just aren't up to facing me yet, this duel is pointless! Just like our stupid duty! Now, one card face down, and end!" She slammed the card into her duel disk, frustrated that her sister couldn't see what she saw.

The younger sister drew, looking positively furious. "I'll show you…our destiny is that of a family together! Our destiny is true, and I'll prove it when I win! One card face down, and then I summon Quick-Silver Knight Gaia(1600/1500)!"

A lightly armored Gaia, looking younger than the previous version, rode on out one a gray colored horse. His armor was silver, with streaks reaching out from the helmet and at key joints in the armor. "When summoned he lets me draw one card from my deck, and Call in the Cavalry lets me draw two cards!"

The elder sister grimaced as her younger sister quickly drew three cards, giving her the same number that Kirani herself had. "Next I play Graceful Charity!" An angel appeared above them, and points of light fell into Satsuki's deck, letting her draw three cards again.

"Now, I discard two cards, and one of them is Repayment of Losses! So I'll draw an additional card!" She slid two cards into her cemetery, and then a new card off her deck, giving her four cards total.

She paused to look over her cards, and then snapped them shut. "End!"

Kirani looked at her sister suspiciously even as she drew, looking at the two face down cards on the younger girl's field. "Alright, time to test the water so to speak. Gilford of Thunder, attack Quick-Silver Knight Gaia!"

"Yeah, like I'd let that happen. Reverse card open, Waboku!" A group of three robed men appeared in the way, and Gilford of Thunder stopped before his charge got him anywhere. Looking frustrated the warrior returned to where he had previously been.

"Well, if I can't deal damage yet then I'll just build up a powerful force. Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in attack mode. Then I set a card face down. That'll end my turn." A powerfully armored monster with a trident in one hand formed, following by a face down card behind it.

Satsuki drew, and then tossed her new card out onto the field. "Knight's Squire Gaia(1300/1000) prevents other Gaia's from being targeted directly by your spell and trap cards. Plus he can't be attacked while I have other monsters with 'knight' and 'gaia' in their names in play."

What looked like a young version of Gaia, around thirteen, appeared on her field next to her other monster. This was the first Gaia not to be wearing any armor, all he wore was a brown leather jerkin, and had a short sword strapped to his side. "Two cards set, turn end!"

Kirani drew, and then slammed her drawn card into place. "Go magic card, Bolt From The Blue! First I select one Gilford the Lightning and forfeit its attack for the turn, then in exchange…I destroy all monsters on your field!"

Gilford pointed his sword straight up, and then lightning bolts began to rain down on Satsuki's field. Suddenly Quick-Silver Knight Gaia let out a furious yell, causing the Gilfords to back up. "Trap card activates, Raging Battle Cry! When I have a warrior in play it lets me remove your battle phase for the turn!"

Seconds later the two monsters exploded, leaving Satsuki with just her face down cards. Kirani frowned, but knew there was little she could do. "Fine, if I can't attack then I'll just end my turn."

Satsuki drew, then slid two of her cards into her duel disk. "I set two cards face down. Next, I play Coins From Heaven! I draw six cards!" Kirani complied, drawing four until they each held six cards total.

She looked over her cards, and then plucked one out, holding it up. The image of a green grinning pot was easily recognized. "Well now, Pot of Greed activates!"

One quick look at her two new cards, and then she took a different card and tossed it down. "I summon another Quick-Silver Knight Gaia(1600/1500) to draw a new card!" She drew to replace the monster, keeping her at seven cards.

Satsuki reached out and pressed an activation button on her duel disk, and one of her previous set cards flipped up. "Swift Army activates when I normal summon a warrior! It lets me special summon a warrior from my deck with a level less than the summoned monster!"

She slipped a card out of her duel disk and then tossed it down. "Veteran Knight Gaia(1400/1500) in defense mode!" Her newest monster looked like an older version of Gaia, wearing the same helmet, but lighter armor, more suiting of a commander than a soldier.

Finally she took two of the remaining cards in her hand and plugged them into her duel disk. "Two cards face down. Now go ahead sis, show me what you and your pathetic Gilfords can do."

Kirani drew, her fingers gripping the card as she surveyed her sister's field. Finally she held out the card, sending a bolt of lightning flying across the field. "Cyclone to destroy the card on the far left!"

Satsuki shrugged, placing the destroyed card into her cemetery. "That's okay; it was just my Gaia's Phalanx trap card. I can live without it."

Next Kirani placed one of her other cards down onto the duel disk, and a monster identical to one she already had in play was generated by the holographic interface. "Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) brings my hand back up to six cards!"

The younger sister grimaced, bracing herself for an all out attack from the five monsters. But it didn't look like Kirani was done. "I equip Gilford the Lightning with his preferred weapon, the Lightning Blade!"

A new weapon appeared in Gilford's hand, charging his attack power up to thirty-six hundred. "Next I activate the field card, Heart of the Storm, which boosts all of my current monsters by four hundred attack. All except Kaiser Seahorse that is."

Once again Gilford the Lightning got a boost, hitting four thousand, while the other monsters also felt the increase in power. "Now, Gilford of Thunder, attack Veteran Knight Gaia!"

Satsuki's apprehension vanished almost immediately, and she pointed to one of her set cards. It flipped up, and Kirani gasped as she saw what it was. "Activate trap card, Mirror Force! Pay for your overconfidence!"

The attack reflected backwards, and five streaks of lightning slammed into her monsters, blasting them all apart, leaving her with a minimal field. "Damn…looks like I feel for that one. I set one card and end my turn."

Her sister drew once, and then a card popped out of her deck and into her hand. "Veteran Knight Gaia lets me place one spell or trap from my deck into my hand during my standby phase, provided it relates to the gaia knights."

She tucked the card into her hand, and then grabbed a different one. "Your casual destruction of the previous Gaias…it's left them wanting revenge. Now, I sacrifice Veteran Knight Gaia to summon the rage of the knights! Gaia, Knight of Vengeance(1900/1500)!"

The knight that appeared look just like the normal Gaia, only part of his helmet was cracked away, and blood was running down over his eye. His armor was also splattered with blood, and he carried a large broadsword in place of lances. _"Wielder of the Gilford, I will reap vengeance upon you!"_

Kirani had heard monsters talk before, but this was the first time one had directly addressed her. This was certainly an interesting hologram. "What's so impressive about that?"

"Gaia, Knight of Vengeance gains three hundred attack and defense points for every monster with 'gaia' in its name in the cemetery! Now, Gaia, Knight of Vengeance(4900/4500), attack Kirani directly!" With a roar of rage the monster charged directly for her, ready to strike her down.

Despite the monster charging for her, Kirani wasn't worried. Instead she shoved one of the cards she was holding into her graveyard. "I discard Kuriboh the Lightning(300/200) from my hand to activate its effect! I special summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) from the grave to the field!"

Gilford the Lightning emerged, only to be slashed across the chest and driven backwards by the force of Gaia's attack. Gilford grimaced, latching a hand onto his bloody wound, but didn't fall. "During the turn that he is special summoned by Kuriboh the Lightning he cannot be destroyed in battle!"

Then the wound on his chest faded as energy surged from it to the now face-up metal contraption on Kirani's field. "Lightning Rod absorbs the seventeen hundred damage from the battle!"

Frustrated though she was by her failure to deal damage, she was still confident with her obscenely powerful monster in play. "I set two cards face down. Next turn my Knight of Vengeance will show you my power! Then you'll have to come with us!"

Kirani drew, and at the sight of the card, she calmed down completely. "It's time to show you the power that Gilford is capable of achieving. It's all over now…I remove Gilford of Thunder, Gilford of Thunder, and Wise One Gilford from the game. This lets me summon Gilford, Lord of the Storm(2800/1400)!"

Glowing with his armor, the Lord of the Storm descended from the sky, his blazing sword of lightning held straight up and pointing at the darkness above. "When Gilford, Lord of the Storm is special summoned by his effect I destroy all cards on our fields and in our hands except for him! Storm of Destruction!"

As the energy began to build up, Kirani held up another of her cards. "I play Emergency Provisions, sacrificing my set card and Lightning Rod before they are blown away to gain two thousand life points!" (KLP: 7100)

Thousands of lightning bolts slammed down all over the field, blasting apart their cards. However, unlike the other times when she had used it, Kirani was surprised to see a card still on her opponent's field. Knight of Vengeance was still standing. "The trap card Fighting Through Pain resurrects a warrior immediately after being destroyed, so I still have my strong monster in play."

At the same time its attack score changed, going up by three hundred thanks to the new monster in the grave. Kirani drew a card from her deck, and explained. "I sent Repayment of Losses to the grave with Lord of the Storm's effect. Now, I play the updated Payment of Debt! By removing a monster in my cemetery from the game I draw three cards!"

She placed Kaiser Seahorse in her back pocket, and then slid three more cards off her deck. She glanced at the three cards, and then slapped one of them in, sliding another into the grave. "By discarding one card from my hand I can play Lightning Vortex to destroy your face-up monster!"

Satsuki gasped as her only monster was blown apart. Now her field was entirely empty and she had nothing she could do. "Lord of the Storm, attack Satsuki directly!" Satsuki screamed as the lightning sliced into her body, draining almost all of her life points. (SLP: 1200)

Kirani slid the last card from her hand into her duel disk, and nodded to her recovering younger sister, showing that she was done. "Satsuki, there's nothing you can do at this point. Please, give up and spare yourself the pain caused by a Darkness Game. We may not see eye to eye, but I don't want to hurt you, you're my sister."

Satsuki struggled to stand, looking weak but furious. "Shut up…save your pity for the weak. Leading the Charge…special summons Gaia the Fierce Knight(2300/2100) from my deck in defense. End turn."

As soon as Kirani had drawn, Lord of the Storm launched itself forwards and slashed Gaia in half. "You can't top deck to victory against Lord of the Storm. End turn."

Her sister drew, and then placed her drawn card down. "Elusive Knight Gaia(1800/1000) in attack. Call in the Cavalry lets me draw twice." She drew twice, while a gaia in pitch black armor wielding a rapier appeared.

Suddenly all depression vanished from Satsuki's face, and she began to laugh. "It's over for you big sister…it's over for your pathetic Gilfords! Activate magic card, Image of Dreams!"

The field began to glow, and Kirani heard the sound of a horse galloping. _'Something powerful is coming…'_

"Big sister…meet my ultimate monster!"

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Author's Notes: Believe it or not, this is an actual duel I had with a friend.

_Next Time: Kirani's sister unleashes her ultimate monster, but Kirani is ready to fight back! What's this though? Satsuki is the weakest duelist in the family…then who's the strongest? _

_See it all in, Kill the Messenger !_

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Yeah, a group fic would be a lot of fun once we figured out what we wanted to do. And I've taken a World Religions class, it was a lot of fun.

Black Death X: What gave you the impression Kirani was dead?

Time Mage: Yeah, I like Pema to. It was annoying getting an actual Tibetan name for him though.

G.O.T. Nick: Personally I loved the combo to get five Mercurys in play. I mean, there are lots of ways to refresh your hand, but five Mercurys? That's good.


	17. Kill The Messenger

Author's Note: More props for Kirani yo! I'm just churning out chapters here.

**Chapter Sixteen: Kill The Messenger**

_As soon as Kirani had drawn, Lord of the Storm launched itself forwards and slashed Gaia in half. "You can't top deck to victory against Lord of the Storm. End turn."_

_Her sister drew, and then placed her drawn card down. "Elusive Knight Gaia(1800/1000) in attack. Call in the Cavalry lets me draw twice." She drew twice, while a gaia in pitch black armor wielding a rapier appeared._

_Suddenly all depression vanished from Satsuki's face, and she began to laugh. "It's over for you big sister…it's over for your pathetic Gilfords! Activate magic card, Image of Dreams!"_

_The field began to glow, and Kirani heard the sound of a horse galloping. 'Something powerful is coming…'_

_"Big sister…meet my ultimate monster!"_

The clopping halted, and the light faded away, revealing a Gaia in shining silver and gold armor, leading the big black steed in silver armor out onto the field. "Big sister, meet Gaia, Knight in Shining Armor(X00/X00)! His attacks points are equal to the combined levels of all Gaias in the cemetery and out of play piles!"

Bursts of energy flowed out of Satsuki's cemetery, each burst being absorbed into Knight in Shining Armor. "Thanks to your efforts, this is the power of my monster. Gaia, Knight in Shining Armor(8900/8900)!"

Kirani stood there, watching the monster calmly, though inside she was impressed by the power of her sister's ultimate monster. "Also, when Knight in Shining Armor is summoned I can special summon a Steed of Gaia the Fierce Knight-Ferocity(1600/1500)! Also, he unions to Knight in Shining Armor, boosting his attack by 500 and making him immune to your cards!"

Gaia placed one foot in a stirrup and then swung into the saddle, his power raising to a total of ninety-four hundred. "You don't look as fearful as you should be. I'll prove Knight in Shining Armor's strength right now! Shining Brilliance Lance!"

Knight in Shining Armor raised his lance and fired a beam of pure light out of the tip straight at Lord of the Storm. But Kirani was prepared. "I can't effect your monster, but I can effect the damage. Thunder Reflective Surface splits all damage this turn and adds it to our life points!" (KLP: 10400, SLP: 4500)

"Fine! Elusive Kngiht Gaia, attack directly! Fetch me some more life points!" Kirani didn't even flinch as the blade slashed across her shoulder, since the damage was instantly converted into a life point gain for both of them. (KLP: 11300, SLP: 5400)

Kirani closed her eyes for a moment, and then snapped them open just as she drew. "Satsuki, I won't allow you to force me into a life that I don't accept! If this is the life you've chosen I won't deny it, but it's not for me. Now, Treasure of Slashing Life!"

Satsuki shrugged, not bothered by the fact that Kirani now got to draw four new cards. "Go ahead, draw all the cards you want. You can't stand against the strength Gaia, Knight in Shining Armor. He'll crush you and force you to come with us."

Her older sister didn't even blink, and instead held up one of her five cards. "Pot of Greed. Six cards…six cards to take down your ultimate monster. Let's see what I can do."

She drew twice, and then flipped one of them over without looking. "Giant Trunade!" Satsuki gasped as Ferocity, acting as an equip card, was blown back to her hand. Without it in play her ultimate monster was vulnerable to effects.

Then, once again without looking, Kirani flipped over the second card she had drawn from Pot of Greed. "Card Destruction! Banish Ferocity for good!"

Both duelists slid their respective hands into the cemetery and then drew new ones. Kirani grasped three of her cards and slid all three of them into her duel disk. "I set two cards, and then play Lightning Return to bring back Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) in attack mode!"

Satsuki drew, and then smirked. "Since Ferocity is in the grave Knight in Shining Armor now has ninety-five hundred attack and defense. But now…it's time to eliminate your defense! Gaia, Knight of the Tempest(1000/1000) blasts both of your cards!"

The lightly armored Gaia appeared once more, and swung its sword, sending two blasts of wind at the set cards. They shattered into nothingness, but Kirani didn't appear bothered at all. "Actually, though I lost Mirror Force I was ready for a destruction attempt. You destroyed Lightning Rod, which has a second effect when destroyed by an effect. I can discard one card to end your turn immediately!"

Satsuki growled, furious that her chance at finishing the duel there and then had been thwarted. Since her turn was over, Kirani was already drawing. "Gilford the Lightning, attack Knight of the Tempest!"

Gilford charged forwards and slashed his sword across the knight's middle, cutting him in two. He shattered, and a heavy amount of damage was inflicted to Satsuki's life points. "Attack all you want, Knight in Shining Armor will crush you!" (SLP: 3600)

Kirani just nodded calmly and slid her drawn card into her duel disk. Satsuki drew, looking deadly. "Knight in Shining Armor, attack with Shining Brilliance Lance!"

Satsuki waited for the set card to trigger, but to her surprise it stayed face down, even as Gilford was blown away by the attack. "Your set card…nothing but a bluff huh? Well that's fine, Elusive Knight Gaia, attack her directly!"

The blade smashed into Kirani, who staggered backwards, but still managed to remain standing. The damage was heavy, but she was strong, and she was enforcing her body against the darkness with her Heart of Man. _'I can't let myself be hurt, it's dangerous.'_ (KLP: 1500)

The younger sister smirked and waved her hand calmly, looking quite satisfied. "Go ahead big sister, take your turn. There's nothing you can do now, so soon you'll be coming with us."

Kirani drew, and then placed her drawn card down on the field right next to her other card. "Turn end."

"That's it? Just one card? Well, then I'll have to make this hurt! Elusive Knight Gaia(1800/1000) in attack mode! Elusive Knight Gaia, attack Kirani directly!" The newest knight raced towards Kirani, but a net of lightning appeared in the way, sending sparks to strike Satsuki even as the blow hit Kirani. (KLP: 600, SLP: 2700)

"You triggered the trap card Lightning Reflective Surface, which splits all damage between us for this turn. So if you attack me with Knight in Shining Armor then the duel is a tie and nothing happens." Satsuki didn't seem bothered, instead she laughed, amused by the attempt.

"It's pointless! Elusive Knight Gaia the second, attack and finish her off! Nine hundred damage will end you, but keep me in the game! The win is mine with all that's between me and you as a bluff!" Elusive Knight made it just a foot from Kirani before a blast of water sent him tumbling back to Satsuki's feet.

"Squall Barrier lets me negate your attack and add a monster with Gilford in its name to my hand. I choose not to do so. Now, your only option to continue attacking is Knight in Shining Armor. You have two choices, attack and get a tie, or refuse to attack and lose. What do you do?" Satsuki's left eye started twitching, her sister's calm demeanor frustrating her.

"I'll do neither! I won't let you defeat me, so I'll end my turn right now!" She folded the two cards in her hand up, looking confident in the strength of her ultimate monster. There was no way to get around it.

Kirani drew, and then suddenly the fire that was normally in her eyes returned as she inserted the card into her duel disk. "If that's your choice, then I'll defeat you right now! I was willing to give you a tie, but now it's time to show you what comes from determination and passion! I learned that lesson from the man I love, and I'll prove the power of determination against the power of your supposed destiny!"

Satsuki stepped back, surprised by the strength she was feeling from her elder sister. "Magic card activates! Lightning Soul Charge, return Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to play! Then it lets me draw two cards!"

Yet again her key monster came to the field, and then she drew twice. "At the end of this turn Gilford the Lightning and my hand go to the cemetery, but this turn won't be coming to an end! I'll bring you down before the end phase!"

Satsuki didn't appear worried, in fact she took her folded up two cards and then slid them into her graveyard. "Thinking to get some cheap damage in? Well by discarding a card from my hand I can remove Elusive Knight Gaia from play for the turn! So with these two cards gone, I remove both of my monsters!"

The two knights faded away, leaving only Gilford and Shining Knight in play. At the same time energy pulsed into Shining Knight's armor. "Since two new monsters are out of play, my ultimate monster's attack increases. Gaia, Knight in Shining Armor(10300/10300) now has enough power to destroy you ten times over!"

Kirani shook her head, and then looked right into her sister's eyes. "Your monster…it won't survive this turn. Let me show you my power! Magic card activates, Lightning Power Recharge activates! For every two light types in my cemetery that I remove from play, I draw one card!"

She held up two Gilford the Lightnings, two Child of the Storms, a Polar Opposite, Gilford the Swift, and last but not least Kuriboh the Lightning. "That's seven, so total I draw three cards!"

Three more cards left her deck, giving her four in hand. She slid one into her duel disk, and the familiar blade formed in Gilford's hand. "Lightning Blade, charge Gilford with eight hundred attack points!"

Satsuki shrugged, knowing that an attack of thirty-six hundred couldn't even dent her ultimate monster. "Don't be so casual Satsuki! Activate Titan's Storm, adding fifteen hundred attack points to Gilford for the turn!"

Still, despite the now deadly attack power of fifty-one hundred, Satsuki wasn't worried. After all, that wasn't even half the attack power of her monster. "It's not enough Kirani, it won't ever be."

"No…it's enough. Activate magic card, The Perfect Storm! This doubles Gilford's current attack, and then adds it to his base attack! At the end of the turn I take his starting attack power as damage! But since there is no turn end, there's nothing to worry about!" Satsuki gasped as Gilford's power shot sky high, coming to rest at a huge 13000.

Satsuki dropped to her knees, knowing what was coming next. "No…no way. I had it won…I was going to make you come with us. I was…right…wasn't I?"

"Whether right or not it doesn't matter, the fact is that it wasn't what was right for me! That's why…you can't win. I won't be forced to do something I don't believe in! Ultimate Thunderbolt Cut!" Satsuki screamed as a massive lightning bolt plowed through Knight in Shining Armor and then struck her, burning away her final life points. (SLP: 0)

The darkness faded away, leaving them back in Kirani's apartment, Satsuki on her knees and Kirani breathing hard, leaning against her chair. Still sitting on the couch, waiting for them, were Miyuki and Tokuha. "Welcome back."

Kirani shot a glare at her older brother, and then jerked a thumb at the door. "Get out of my home. All of you. Now!"

Tokuha smiled in a placating manner, and then motioned with one hand to his two other sisters. "You two, go on ahead. Miyuki, inform Satsuki of what I told you. I have something to discuss with our sister."

The two women left, leaving Kirani alone with her older brother. He gestured with one hand for her to sit down, and she did so, appreciating the chance to gather her strength again. "So, despite the thousands of years that our family as existed for this purpose, you rejected that duty. And from what I understand you've hardly lived that normal life you wanted. In fact, your boyfriend has proven to be quite extraordinary, as have you."

Kirani tried not to giving anything away, including the surprise she felt at knowing that Tokuha knew about her exploits. "Yes, the entire family was quite impressed with the way you and your friends handled that Eikyuu deity. You've proven to be very powerful, and you've shown that you are perfect for the role as The Watcher. Because I think I know the whereabouts of the Pillars of Creation thanks to if, if indirectly."

This time Kirani couldn't hide her surprise. She was sure that she hadn't given anything away about the truth of the Pillars of Creation. "You…how can you know?"

"Because I know exactly the nature of how being The Watcher works, while you never bothered to learn it. You defeated Satsuki in a Darkness Game, so we have to leave you now, but that doesn't matter. Your job is done, we'll collect the Pillars of Creation and The Key will have her use." Kirani felt her fists ache from how hard she was clenching them.

"I won't let you do that! You don't have the right to do it! I'll stop you, no matter what I have to do!" She stood, now taller than her brother because of that added height. He just looked up at her calmly from where he was seated and crossed one leg over the other.

"Don't be rash little sister. In the end there's nothing you can do about it, your job is done, this little duel you had with Satsuki showed me the truth. Besides, what do you think you could do? I can tell you barely defeated Satsuki, and she's the weakest of the four of us. Certainly you can defeat Miyuki as well, but you can't stand up to me and you know it." Kirani narrowed her eyes, and then took out her deck piles and shuffled them together.

"Care to test that big brother? One duel, and if I win then you can't get involved in the effort to get the Pillars of Creation! And as a member of this family, you have to honor your word, now don't you?" Her duel disk slid into place, deck already in it. (KLP: 4000)

Tokuha paused for just a moment, and then stood. He reached down to a bag at the foot of the couch and pulled out what looked like a jacket, which he slid over his shoulders. It was revealed to be a fancy duel disk, but it fit over his chest. "Duel Vest activates." (TLP: 4000)

He placed one hand near his deck and it automatically ejected six cards. "Hmmm…I'll start slowly. One monster in defense mode and one card face down. Turn end."

Kirani drew six cards, looking bound and determined to crush her brother as soon as possible. "I won't give you a chance to get anywhere! I special summon Gilford the Swift(1400/500) by its effect!"

The lithe warrior wielding a rapier jumped out of the card, doing a flip before landing on the carpet. "Next I play Lightning Summon, which lets me normal summon without taking up my summon for the turn! So Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) is summoned!"

She slapped the monster card down and it rose up from the ground, giving her two monsters. Tokuha didn't even blink as she picked up both of the monsters and slammed another monster down on her field. "I sacrifice both for Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)! Kaiser Seahorse counted as two, so that was three tributes! Go, Raigeki Blade!"

A single bolt of lightning shattered the set monster, clearing a path. "Go, Cyclone! Clear the field completely!" Tokuha's set card, his final defense, was shattered by a gust of wind, leaving him with nothing to defend himself with.

"That's impressive Kirani. Go ahead, make your attack." Kirani didn't waste another moment. She punched out at Tokuho with her right fist, and Gilford leveled his sword at her brother.

"Thunderbolt Cut!" The end of Gilford's sword slammed into Tokuha's stomach, sending him flying backwards over the couch. He flipped end over end, finally coming to a rest on the balls of his feet at the far end of the living room. (TLP: 1200)

Without missing a beat she flipped around the final card she was holding. "Treasure of Slashing Life lets me draw until I hold five cards, but in five turns I discard my hand!" She drew five cards, restoring her hand size.

"Two cards face down, end turn!" The two cards appeared behind Gilford the Lightning, and it was absolutely assumed that she had field advantage. It had been an opening move that had nearly finished her elder brother off.

Tokuha drew, looking absolutely calm. Then he looked up at his sister, and smiled. "Don't you remember why I selected this deck? I am The Messenger, and it is only appropriate that I use the power of messengers for my deck."

He looked over his five cards, and then slid two cards into his duel disk, which appeared in front of him. "Now, I play Magister School to create two Magister Tokens(500/500)." Two familiar red robed spellcasters appeared creatures Drake had used many times in the past.

"Next I activate Emergency Provisions, sacrificing my two set Repayment of Losses to gain two thousand life points and draw two cards." He slid two cards off his deck while tucking the sacrificed cards into his graveyard. At the same time his life points rose. (TLP: 3200)

He looked at the two new cards, and then held up one of them. "Token Harvest Festival lets me destroy all tokens in play to gain eight hundred life points for each. In addition, since the Magister Tokens are destroyed I draw two cards." (TLP: 4800)

Kirani grimaced, irritated that he had four cards in his hand and had managed to raise his life points back up past her damage and to over where he had started at. "You're as combo happy as ever I see."

"That's right. Next I play Drop in the Bucket, which lets me send the top card of my deck to the cemetery. If it is a monster I draw one card and gain one thousand life points." He drew, and then held up a Super Vorse Raider(1900/1200) which he promptly discarded and then drew again. (TLP: 5800)

One more glance at the drawn card, and then he held up another card. "Monster Reincarnation lets me pick up one monster from the grave, namely Super Vorse Raider, and add it to my hand at a cost of one card. I discard the final Repayment of Losses." He picked up the monster and then drew, keeping him at four cards.

Kirani watched him carefully, feeling him building up to something. "Activate Power of Triplets, which works when I have three cards in the cemetery with the same name. Their effect activates. So, I draw three cards from the three Repayment of Losses in my grave."

He drew again, this time reaching six cards. He held up another card, one of the drawn cards, and smirked. "Return of Triplets lets me add all cards with the same name, provided there are three, from the cemetery to my hand."

Immediately he showed her the three Repayment of Losses he had picked up, putting him at eight cards in hand. "Activate magic card, Spell Reproduction. I discard two magic cards from my hand to pick up a magic card from the grave."

He slipped two of his cards into the grave, and then held up Emergency Provisions. Kirani was surprised to see him not draw. "Why didn't you discard Repayment of Losses?"

"Oh please, I have better plans. Since they were sent there by an effect I can remove these two cards from my cemetery. Two identical cards, A Second Chance each one of them. When removed I draw two cards, so I draw four total." He drew four more cards, making Kirani even more nervous than she already was.

So far he had managed to gather his hand up to ten cards, and she knew what four of them were, but the remaining were a mystery. "I set four cards face down. Then I activate Emergency Provisions to tribute them all." (TLP: 9800)

He picked them up and showed the four cards to her. "All three Repayment of Losses, and the final A Second Chance. I remove A Second Chance to draw two cards." Immediately he drew five new cards, replacing the cards he had sacrificed.

_'He's stronger than I remember…by far! He managed to gain four thousand life points and five new cards with no effort at all! What…what kind of duelist is he?'_ Tokuha meanwhile had fanned out his ten card hand, assessing his options.

"Activate magic card, Magister Academy. This fills all of my monster zones with Magister Tokens(500/500) but prevents me from attacking this turn." Five of the red robed monsters formed, giving him a huge wall, and potentially five new cards.

Once more he held up one of his cards. "Temporal Disruption destroys all monsters in play, and each player draws one card for each of their monsters destroyed. I lose five, so I draw five. However, since they were Magister Tokens, I draw one card for each of their effects."

She gasped as all of their monsters were blown away, and while she drew one card, he drew ten cards. Now he was holding eighteen cards, and didn't seem bothered by how fast he was drawing cards. _'This…this is some kind of insane draw enginge deck. No…I know what he's searching for!'_

"Activate Cheerful Coffin, discards three Dark Essences. When a Dark Essence goes to the cemetery, I gain five hundred life points." In seconds his hand size fell to fourteen, but it was still a considerable amount. (TLP: 11300)

Then he held up yet another card, this one exactly the same. "Cheerful Coffin lets me send three Light Essences to the grave. When they go to the cemetery I also gain five hundred life points." His hand size dropped to ten, while his life points shot up again. (TLP: 12800)

Kirani realized it that instant as the power built to its highest peak, knowing what was going to happen in just a few seconds. _'This…this going to be tough to handle. I'll just put whatever power I can into surviving it.'_

He picked up one of the remaining ten cards, and slipped it onto his Duel Vest. Then two cards ejected from his cemetery and he held them up. "I remove a Light Essence(700/500) and a Dark Essence(500/700) to special summon this ultimate messenger."

In a blast of black and white flame a towering behemoth emerged, barely fitting in her apartment. It had shimmering scales and a fire red mane, and let out a roar that shook the building. "As all my opponents you will face the wrath of Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End(3000/2500)!"

Kirani did a quick count of cards, and knew that if she was going to last the turn, she'd have to act immediately once her used his dragon's effect. "Activate effect, Apocalyptic Eruption! Destroy it all!" (TLP: 11800)

The dragon roared, and then exploded, blasting apart the apartment. Smoke filled the entire area, but Tokuha just stood still, waiting for his fallen sister to be revealed. The walls barely held, while the furniture was strewn everywhere. "Did you survive little sister?"

There was a coughing from somewhere in the smoke, and then a response. "Don't…don't count me out as finished so quickly you arrogant jerk. I'm not that easy to beat." The smoke faded, revealing Kirani surrounded by a glowing red barrier, perfectly fine. (KLP: 800)

Observing the empty field and her empty hand, Tokuha made an obersvation. "I see, so one of your two set cards was Emergency Provisions. You sacrificed your other set card, giving you one thousand life points and reducing the total cards sent to the grave to fourteen. So you took forty-two hundred damage, while having five thousand."

She scowled, frustrated that he had figured out her play so easily. "That's right. Now, you go anything else to do?"

"Of course. With Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect I discarded Emperor Dragon's Mandate. When it goes to the grave from Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect, all cards return to our decks and we draw new hands." Both siblings took their cemeteries and shuffled them back into their decks, while Tokuha also added his two out of play cards. Then they drew five cards.

"I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down. Turn end." The two cards appeared on Tokuha's field, just like they had on his first turn. Kirani stared at the cards before drawing for her turn.

_'He's…he's different than anybody else I've ever dueled. I don't understand it, but he unleashed so much power so quickly, and his combos were insane! He's…he's at least on level with Drake and Dalin and maybe…could he be…better?'_ She shivered at the mere thought of someone exceeding their level, particularly Dalin's.

She stared at her hand of cards blankly, trying to figure out what to do next. Somehow she was sure that if she went all out and smashed his life points again, he'd just recover easily in the next turn. _'What can I do to fight back against such strength?'_

Finally she settled on a move, taking a monster and slapped it down. "Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) is summoned, and he lets me draw two cards. One from the top of my deck, and one from the bottom."

She grabbed the two new cards, thinking her plan through. She had to take some action, so this was the best she had. "Gilford of Thunder, attack the set monster!" It slammed its sword down, and easily crushed the monster.

"You destroyed Skelangel(900/400) whose flip effect lets me draw one card. Also, I activate the trap card Appropriate in chain to Gilford of Thunder's effect. Next time you draw outside of the draw phase, I'll draw two cards." He drew a new card, putting him back at four cards.

"That's fine, I figured it would be something like that. Set three cards face down, and then end turn." The three cards appeared behind Gilford of Thunder, protecting him. At the same time she was also left with four cards in hand.

Tokuha drew, and then took a different card and slid it into his duel vest. "Bury the Dead sends three monsters from my deck to the cemetery. I choose two Dark Essences(500/700) and one Light Essence(700/500)." (TLP: 13300)

He scanned his cards, and then flipped another one around. "Confiscation lets me pay one thousand life points to look at your hand and send one card to the grave." His life points trickled down, and four holographic images appeared in front of his face. (TLP: 12300)

Her older brother smiled as he looked over the cards, and then pointed to one, which turned around so she could see it. "I choose Enter the Storm, go ahead and send it to the cemetery."

She complied, tossing out the card. At the current moment she couldn't play it anyways, since she only had eight hundred life points and it required one thousand to play. "Now that I've reduced your hand size to three I can play this. Mind Wipe takes your hand and shuffles it back into your deck, and then you draw an equal amount of cards."

Without a complaint she did as he said, shuffling up and then drawing three new cards. Suddenly his face-up trap card started glowing, and he drew twice. "Since you drew outside of your draw phase Appropriate gives me two new cards. Next, a second Mind Wipe."

She shuffled up and drew again, and then he drew two more cards as well, putting him up at five cards. "The third and final Mind Wipe." She sighed and shuffled up and drew again, letting him draw two more cards.

"Next, Return of Triplets brings back my three Mind Wipes. In succession I'll play them all again." Kirani sighed and continued to shuffle and draw, shuffle and draw until she had finally done it three times. Meanwhile he got to draw a grand total of six cards, putting him back up at ten cards in hand.

He looked three of his cards, and then slid them into his duel disk. "I set those three. Then I play Temporal Distortion, which forfeits my battle phase to destroy all magic and traps in play. Each of us draw one card for every lost card."

All of their sets shattered, and Kirani drew twice for her two lost cards. Because he had lost three, Tokuha drew three cards. "I lost all three Repayment of Losses, so I draw three cards extra. Then since you drew out of your draw phase Appropriate lets me draw two again."

Her older brother reached for another of his fourteen cards to play, but suddenly his Duel Vest beeped, indicating the end of his turn. For the first time he expressed genuine surprise. "What…why did my turn end?"

Kirani smirked and slipped a card out of her cemetery. "Because you did just like I thought you would, and destroyed my Lightning Rod. When destroyed by an effect I can discard a card from my hand to end your turn immediately. You're powerful, but predictable."

Tokuha laughed out right, honestly impressed by his sister's play. "Very well done, you managed to stop me from doing anything further, sticking me with fourteen cards at the end of my turn and no cards in play. So, I'll discard these eight cards to reduce my hand size to allowed size."

She drew, and then threw the card onto her duel disk. "Berserker Gilford(3000/0) in attack mode! Now, double direct attack!" Tokuha was once again sent flying, this time by two mighty attacks, one from each monster. (TLP: 7500)

Next she held up one of her other cards, and Berserker Gilford faded away. "Lightning Energy Reserve lets me tribute a Gilford to gain half its attack points as life points." (KLP: 2300)

Finally she slid one of the three remaining cards she was holding into her duel disk. "That card face down. Your turn Tokuha, and I'm ready. Even if you're a stronger duelist than me, even if you're my older brother…I don't intend to stop fighting, even if victory were impossible I wouldn't stop!"

Her brother paused in the process of drawing, and gave her a smile. "I see…it's the influence of that boyfriend of yours. I can understand your passion, but I won't let it get in the way of our family's duty."

He drew, and then slid three cards out of the grave. "I remove my three A Second Chance cards to draw six cards in total." Just like that he was back up to thirteen cards, without any effort at all.

"Now, it's time to unleash the second stage of power! I remove a Dark Essence and a Light Essence from the cemetery to special summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)!" The black and gold armored soldier now stood resolutely on his field, staring across at Kirani dispassionately.

"Double Chaos Edge!" Black Luster Soldier flew across the field at great speed, slashing casually through Gilford of Thunder and then into Kirani. She slid across the carpet, a barrier barely formed to keep her from being hurt.

"I…I won't fall Tokuha! Not to your messengers, never to your messengers! And especially not to you! Thunder Reflective Surface divides the damage as life increase to the two of us!" (KLP: 4400, TLP: 9600)

Tokuha let out a loud laugh, looking quite proud of his sister. "You keep fighting, and I'm impressed by that. But defeat is inevitable when you face me. Three cards face down, and then Eternal Renewal reshuffles all cards in our cemeteries and out of play piles back into our decks."

Both of them shuffled their decks back up, and he was left with eight cards in his hand. "I discard two cards from my hand to return my hand size to six. Now, let your turn begin."

Letting out a deep breath she gripped the top card of her deck, and then closed her eyes. "Tokuha…let me show you what I've learned. Even if nobody else has…let me be the first to defeat you and your messengers. Let me show you…that I've chosen my path correctly!"

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Author's Notes: Wow, I got this chapter out so fast that I only had time to get one review before posting it. That's two chapters today alone, cool neh?

_Next Time: Kirani must battle her powerful older brother Tokuha with every ounce of her strength, and even then victory is uncertain. Meanwhile another duelist has claimed he will use will use power to gain victory. Does Dalin have it in him to defeat his opponent, or is Pema Khandro and his Duel Presence too much for the angel duelist?_

_See it all in, All-Seeing Eye!_

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: What are you talking about dude? That's our duel, you versus me. I just changed who was who.

Time Mage: I changed the duel somewhat as you can see. And of course I skimmed over the ice cream part. Also, Miyuki is twenty-seven, making her older than Kirani. Tokuha is twenty-nine, making him the eldest of the four siblings.


	18. AllSeeing Eye

Author's Note: Back to Kirani again. Wow…yet another chapter.

**Chapter Seventeen: All-Seeing Eye**

_Pema sighed at having his assault once again thwarted. "Truly you are impressive. But such a defense is merely one time. What more can be done? There are only so many ways of defending your life points in your deck, and sooner or later you will run out."_

_"Perhaps, but perhaps not. Perhaps if I too have an army of angels then I can gain what I need to put an end to your army. So, I activate Army of Heaven! This card requires I sacrifice one angel in play, and I choose Pluto!" The blue skinned angel shattered, and four points of light descended from above, landing around Mercury._

_"Now I may fill up my open zones with copies of one angel I have in play, effect included. So, with that effect, I gain four more Mercury, Angel of Wisdoms(0/1700 X5)!" The balls of light unfolded, revealing themselves as Mercury, each of them. Now Dalin had a grand total of five of the monsters in play._

_Pema smiled behind the veil of cloth, truly impressed by the maneuver. He wasn't the only one, because Hikari couldn't help but jump for joy at the sight of the five angels. "I set three cards face down. That is all."_

_Three of his eight cards moved forwards until they were floating face down above the ground. It seemed odd, but he still had five cards in his hand despite that, once again showing his power. "Tell me Sumatin, what do you intend to do with this army of yours?"_

_The angel duelist paused, two fingers on the top card of his deck. He looked up at Pema, his eyes hard as diamonds, and the corner of his lips tilted up. "I intend to unleash the wrath of heaven upon you."_

_Then he drew._

Seconds later he picked up five more cards off the top of his deck and fanned them out with his one other card, giving him six in hand. "The effect of each Mercury lets me draw a total of five cards." (DLP: 7700)

He looked over the drawn cards and then held up one of them. "Angel's Feather Duster works when I have an angel in play. It destroys all of the opponent's magic and trap cards." Pema's three face down cards were immediately blown apart by a flurry of wind.

Next Dalin considered his remaining options and then placed one of his drawn cards into his duel, causing it to appear face down in front of him. "One card set. Now, activate magic card Gambit of Knowledge. I remove my hand from play for three turns, on the third turn I get them back and draw an equal number from my deck."

He slid the three cards into his back pocket, once again dropping his hand size to zero cards. Pema smiled, hidden by the curtains. _'He's quite impressive. But I'll have to eliminate his monsters or risk him drawing a greater force.'_

Pema snapped his fingers, and a new card appeared next to his others, giving him six cards much like Dalin had. "All of my Seraphims will attack your angels. My army is the stronger, so it shall succeed."

A flurry of attacks and the five blue skinned angels were nothing but feathers in the wind. The stronger angels stood victorious, hardly bothered that they had just slain their own brethren. "Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Dalin snapped his own fingers, and his set card revealed itself. "Return to Heaven activates during the end phase of a turn. It returns all angels that went to the cemetery that turn to the field."

Pema was calm, despite the fact that Dalin had just easily undone his efforts from his turn. Once again the angel duelist have five of his Mercury angels in play, meaning he would be drawing. "I draw."

He drew once, and then drew five more times, each time getting energy pulsed into his duel disk from the cemetery. "Life Pulse has granted me an additional twenty-five hundred life points." (DLP: 10200)

Dalin scanned the cards he had, and then made a broad sweeping gesture to include all of his monsters. "I switch all of my monsters into attack mode." His five angels stood up, their tablets still held in their arms. They had nothing else that might act as a weapon.

Hikari blinked, not quite sure what to think of that. "Dalin…ummm…you do realize that Pema's weakest monster has thirty-seven hundred attack points, and that all of your monsters have zero attack points…right?"

The angel duelist turned and offered her one of his meager but still existent smiles. "Of course I know, I'm counting on it. Otherwise this next move wouldn't be as effective. Reins of Power! All monsters on your field switch, so long as we have an equal number of monsters in play!"

Even Pema was surprised when the field flickered, and suddenly the five Mercuries were on Pema's field and the five Seraphims on Dalin's. "Seraphims, attack the other angels!"

Five separate attacks were launched, and each of the blue skinned angels were blown away. But to Hikari's surprise there was no sound of life points falling. She couldn't help but ask. "Why are your life points still intact?"

"Before his attacks connected I activated Hallowed Life Barrier, which prevents me from taking life point damage this turn, provided I discard one card. I have done so, so there was no damage to me." Just as he said, one of his face downs was no longer there, was well as one of his floating cards being gone.

Since no damage had been done Dalin didn't waste any time in playing his next card. "Angelic Burst lets me sacrifice any number of angels I have in play to gain seven hundred life points for each. I offer up all five Seraphims."

The five monsters changed in appearance, turning into balls of light that hovered around Dalin. One by one they flew into his duel disk, replenishing his life points up to an impressive amount. "I believe that is sufficient." (DLP: 13700)

Pema smiled as Hikari scratched her head in confusion once again. "Yeah, now I'm confused again. You had all those powerful monsters but you gave them up just for life points you didn't really need. What's the deal?"

"At the end of the turn in which Reins of Power is played, all monsters return to their owners. Which means I would have had no monsters and he would have had five. So I put his monsters to good use." She nodded, understanding the play now that he had explained.

Turning back to the duel Dalin selected one of his remaining four cards and tossed it down onto the field. "Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) in attack mode." Hikari recognized this angel, and knew its effect as well, so she felt relaxed.

Dalin didn't even pause before clenching his right fist tight. "I activate Neptune's effect. I pay a total of fifty-five hundred life points to shuffle all of the angel related cards in my cemetery back into my deck." (DLP: 8200)

Eleven cards ejected from his cemetery and he shuffled them into his deck. It all happened with that blinding speed of shuffle that Dalin had, which never ceased to amaze her. He was huge, but he was also very fast and very nimble. "Set a card. Turn end."

A brand new card appeared amongst Pema's card, and then the lama began to laugh. "Truly Sumatin you are a most impressive man, and far more than impressive as a duelist. You have past the first aspect of the second test. You have defeated a power akin to your own, a power that draws off of your own strength."

Hikari gasped, seeing what he meant. _'So this go was just using those Seraphims to test Dalin by seeing if he could win even if his own monsters strengthened the opponent! So…what's his real strategy?'_

Up above them the Summon Monk started glowing. "Summon Monk's special ability activates. Now I special summon Red Gadget(1300/500) from my deck to the field in attack mode."

A red robot appeared, a gear shifting on its back. "When summoned this monster lets me add a Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand." Another card appeared amongst those he had already.

"I normal summon Yellow Gadget(1200/1200) whose effects adds a Greed Gadget to my hand." His summoned card was replaced by a new card, even as a yellow robot similar to the first robot was brought out into the field.

Seconds later one of the remaining cards in Pema's hand turned around, giving them a good view of it. The card showed a set of three identical figurines on a shelf together. "Magic card activates! Complete the Set works when I have two monsters of a three monster combination, the final monster is summoned!"

The card he had brought to his hand spun around and a green robot appeared next to the other two robots. "Green Gadget(1400/600) in attack mode completes the set of gadgets. For the moment that is."

Hikari couldn't but help wonder exactly what was going on. _'Okay, what's going on here? First angels, and now machines? What the heck is this guy's strategy? It doesn't make any sense!'_

Yet another of the cards that Pema had flipped around, showing a tornado with a lightning bolt in the center. A magic card that Hikari easily recognized. "Cyclone destroys your face down card, allowing Neptune to be vulnerable to attack."

Wordlessly Dalin complied, sliding his set card into his graveyard. Now all he had was one monster against three, but Hikari wasn't worried. After all, all of those three monsters were weaker than Neptune. _'What a pointless play.'_

Dalin nodded with his head towards Pema's set card. "I assume you're going to activate that now and complete your four card combination."

Pema nodded and pointed to the set card. To Hikari's surprise a giant white robot emerged from the trap card, towering above the others. "Upon activation the trap card Mobile Fortress Stronghold(0/2000) becomes a monster."

Hikari opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, but Pema beat her to the punch, knowing what she would ask. "While these three monsters are in play with it, Mobile Fortress Stronghold's attack is set at three thousand."

She groaned, realizing that Dalin was now severely outmatched by his opponent's fire power. This wasn't going to be pretty. _'Okay, so there's a point to those monsters, but his deck still doesn't make sense.'_

"Mobile Fortress Stronghold, destroy Neptune!" The beastly machine launched a fist out, spearing into Neptune. The angel held for just a second, and then was blown to pieces by the powerful strike. An then Dalin's life points fell. (DLP: 6900)

The angel duelist stood strong, even though he was about to receive three direct attacks and he knew it. "Continue your assault Pema. To stop know would not be befitting one such as yourself."

"Yes, I understand. Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget, Green Gadget, attack Sumatin directly! Triple Gadget Crash!" The three robots jumped straight at Dalin, their metallic bodies crashing into him. He was driven to the ground, and then the robots retreated. (DLP: 3000)

Dalin let out a deep breath, and then stood back to his full height as if nothing had happened. "Well played Pema. You are truly a duelist worth facing. Perhaps when this is all over we can duel again."

Pema laughed lightly, his voice filled with happiness and honesty as he spoke. "Yes, I would like that very much as well. Truly a pity that we will never see each other again."

To this Dalin didn't respond, instead it was Hikari who asked. "Wait, what do you mean you two will never meet again? What's going to happen?"

The lama seemed happy, despite the strange news. "Oh, it's quite simple. Once you have left myself and the rest of the monastery will be slaughtered. We will be dead before the end of the day."

"That's…how is that possible? You can't know that!" Dalin shot her a look that told her to drop it. But in this case she couldn't just drop it, not when a man that had been kind to them was announcing that he and all of his companions would be dead in a handful of hours.

"I have mastered The All-Seeing Eye, a method of meditation that allows me to see everything occurring around the planet. It also allows me to see the direct future of those closest in heart to me, namely myself and my order. Sometimes it can be a curse, as much as it is a blessing." He sighed, but then he laughed again, happy about something.

"I don't understand this at all. If you and everyone you know are going to die before the day is done and you know it, why can't you do something about it? If Dalin and I stay, maybe we can help you!" Pema shook his head, still almost amused by her attitude.

"There is nothing that can be done. You two must depart immediately once you have learned what you need to learn, or else risk losing your one chance. If you do not move with all haste then the world is doomed. I and my brethren are prepared for our fate, we do not grieve for ourselves, so please, do not grieve for us." His smile was a sad one, but still there.

"I don't understand how you can be happy about the fact that you're all going to do. It just…it doesn't make sense at all!" She felt her blood practically boiling. The mere thought that somebody would slaughter these people, and that they'd be happy about it…it sent a chill down her spine.

"We have accepted our fate, and know that we must enjoy the here and now. That is why I will enjoy this wonderful duel to its fullest. It will be my final duel and I wish it to be a spectacular one." Hikari opened her mouth to speak again, but was forestalled when Dalin raised his hand.

"Hikari, please, stop. Pema Khandro, I understand your feelings. I will respect your choice, and I will duel you with all of my strength. I will give you a parting duel worthy of your strength. Though we may never cross paths again, I will remember this duel always. Now, let us continue!" The two duelists exchanged determined looks, and then it was back on.

"Thank you Sumatin. I set one magic or trap card face down on the field. This will act as a buffer. That will end my turn. Please, take your turn Sumatin." Dalin nodded and reached for his duel disk to draw.

He drew, and then looked at his three cards, formulating a plan. "I set a monster in defense mode and one card face down. Then I play Treasure of Heaven." The card glowed, and each of them started their drawing.

Thanks to Treasure of Heaven they each drew until they held six cards. For Pema that was a total of five cards, while for Dalin it was the full six. "Since I have drawn six cards outside of my draw phase, Life Pulse increases my life points by three thousand." (DLP: 6000)

He scanned the drawn cards, and then slipped one of his new cards into his duel disk. "Set one card down. End turn."

Pema gained a new card to go along with the six others he had. And then, just like in all of his other turns, the Summon Monk above started glowing. "Summon Monk now special summon Blue Gadget(1800/900) to the field."

A blue robot much like the other three now stood on the field. "When Blue Gadget is in play the Mobile Fortress Stronghold gains 500 attack points. Also, since summoned I get to add a 'Black Gadget' to my hand."

A card replaced the summoned monster, and then moved out onto the field. "I normal summon Black Gadget(1600/1100) who does not count towards my total monsters while Mobile Fortress Stronghold is in play. In addition the fortress now gains an extra one thousand attack."

Mobile Fortress Stronghold powered up to forty-five hundred, equal to a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon as a new black robot was summoned, giving Pema a total of six monsters. "Black Gadget also adds a 'White Gadget' to my hand from my deck."

After the new card went into Pema's hand, one of the previous cards spun around. "Gadget Defense places a counter on Mobile Fortress Stronghold that once lets it survive something that would destroy it."

Hikari blinked, not quite sure what to make of that. At forty-five hundred attack it hardly had to be worried about being beaten in battle. _'Wait a second…it's not just a monster…it's a trap card!'_

Just as she figured it out, another of Pema's cards whirled about. "Heavy Storm now destroys all magic and trap cards in play. The counter on Mobile Fortress Stronghold is removed to keep it in play."

The two cards on Dalin's field were shattered by a heavy wind, leaving him with just his set monster. On the other hand he didn't seem bothered, and was drawing a card already. "One of the two cards destroyed was Repayment of Losses."

"Ah, I see. Now you gain five hundred life points for drawing." Dalin nodded just as energy flowed out of his cemetery and into his duel disk. He was already being powered up, almost as if in preparation for the coming assault. (DLP: 6500)

"Red Gadget, attack the set monster!" It hurled its body at the set monster, blasting it apart. Suddenly it seemed to reform, becoming a man in monk's robes with full angel's wings extending out of its back.

"You destroyed Ascended Man(1200/500). When this monster goes to the cemetery I draw one card and special summon another from my deck. Also, Life Pulse increases my life points." He drew and his life points went up, and Hikari realized that it was in fact preparation for the coming attack. (DLP: 7000)

"Very well. Yellow Gadget, destroy the next Ascended Man." This time it was the yellow robot that attacked, also blasting apart the defending angel. And just like before it reformed as the third and final one was summoned.

"Again I special summon and draw, and again I gain life points. Please, continue." Just as always Dalin was utterly calm, even though the situation was hardly a positive one. In fact, Hikari wondered how he was going to survive this turn at all. (DLP: 7500)

"Green Gadget, destroy the final Ascended Man and clear the field." The green robot rolled into a ball of spun across the field, crashing into Ascended Man. It was able to defend for a bare moment before being ripped into holographic pixels.

"I draw one card as per the effect of Ascended Man. However, this time there are no more of them to summon. So, now my field is completely empty. I am ready for your assault." Calmly Dalin stood there, his hand of cards in one hand, and his other just wresting by his side. (DLP: 8000)

Pema pointed at Dalin, and Black Gadget prepped itself for launch. "Black Gadget, attack his life points directly!" The robot complied, flying straight towards Dalin. If it hit his life points would be reduced to the point where he would barely survive the assault.

"Activate quick-play magic card. Soul Renewal works when I discard it from my hand. I shuffle my cemetery and hand into my deck and draw a new hand of five cards." He took all of the cards he had gathered, along with the cards in his cemetery and shuffled them up.

As he was drawing energy flowed from his deck into his duel disk. "If Life Pulse leaves the cemetery it places a Life Pulse Counter on the field which lasts as its effect for one full turn. So for these five cards I gain life points." (DLP: 10500)

Just a moment later the gadget struck him, but he didn't budge despite the damage. "Thanks to the gathered energy of my cards, I will survive your attacks." (DLP: 8900)

"Perhaps, but you will not come out unscathed. Blue Gadget, direct attack!" Again Dalin was struck by the robot's body, taking another chunk out of his life points. His legs groaned under his weight and the robot's, but he refused to fall. (DLP: 7100)

"Finally Mobile Fortress Stronghold(4500/2000) attacks your life points directly." The massive robot pounded a fist into Dalin's chest, hurling him a dozen feet backwards. He extended his legs out, using them to catch his fall. He skidded to a stop, and then began walking back into place. (DLP: 2600)

"Your strength is impressive Pema. I will not let you down, I will use my true power against you. For now, are you done?" The lama gave a nod of ascent, just as two of the remaining cards in his hand moved down, being set onto the field.

Dalin drew calmly, his hand size up to six. Then he reached into his back pocket and took the cards from there and placed them amongst his other cards. "Gambit of Knowledge's effect has now activated. First I get back the cards I placed out of play."

He pointed to the three cards he had taken back, and then picked up the top three cards of his deck. "Next Gambit of Knowledge lets me draw an equal number of cards to those I had placed out of play. I now draw three cards."

Hikari couldn't help but be impressed as Dalin's hand size rose up to twelve cards. But his three newly drawn cards were glowing, and he tossed them down onto his duel disk. "These three monsters can be special summoned from my hand at any time."

Three identical monsters in plain white robes now stood on his field, their attack and defense scores fluctuating. "These monsters are the Servants of Osiris(2700/2700) and their attack is equal to the number of cards in my hand times three hundred."

Hikari gasped as she recognized the three monsters. _'These monsters…he used them against Drake all those years ago! This means…this really is his full strength! The deck that unleashes the power of the gods!'_

"Prepare yourself Pema, it is time to unleash the strength of my god. I offer these three monsters to summon a mighty creature from my hand. Descend and show your power, great Saint Dragon Osiris(X000/X000)!" The three monsters faded away, and their energy coiled into the card that Dalin was placing down onto his duel disk.

The room shook as the god monster took shape, continuing to grow until it was at last wrapped around the room a handful of times, its head level above Dalin's field. He was there, on top of Osiris' head, watching Pema. "Saint Dragon Osiris…his attack and defense is one thousand times the number of cards in my hand!"

He fanned out the eight cards in his hand, and Saint Dragon Osiris roared in triumph. The sheer force of the roar blew the curtains away, revealing Pema to them. He was very old, but bald, and very skinny at the same time. His eyes were a milky white. "Just as I suspected, you had to give up the sight of a normal man to gain the All-Seeing Eye."

The old lama smiled, not bothered by the blunt statement. "Yes, that's true. Looking back on it I'm sure there must have been another way. But, as they say, hind sight is twenty-twenty, right?"

To Hikari's complete surprise, Dalin laughed. It was a deep and booming laughter, but honest and true. "Yes, yes it is. Perhaps one day I will have the hind sight to see my life for what it truly is. Until then, I will live in the here and now…not knowing the past."

Dalin raised one hand, and Osiris' first mouth opened wide, energy charging in it. "Saint Dragon Osiris(8000/8000), attack Mobile Fortress Stronghold!" The beam of energy shot straight at the monster…then went through it and vanished against a barrier in front of Pema.

"The two card combination Astral Barrier and Spirit Barrier makes even the might of Osiris useless. Until you can overcome it, there is nothing you can do to harm me." Dalin nodded, and slid two cards into his duel disk before giving Pema a slight nod to show that his turn was done.

Once again the old man gained a card, and then it turned around. "It is time for Osiris to fall, right now. Activate magic card, Brave Attack. I will now have my monsters attack Osiris until it is destroyed."

Mobile Fortress Stronghold jumped straight at Osiris, crashing into its body and then blowing apart. "Mobile Fortress was first. Now, I must deal up to eighty-one hundred damage to finish Osiris."

He pointed to Red Gadget, which threw itself against Osiris and was destroyed. However a small crack seemed to go down Osiris' body. Next Pema pointed to Yellow Gadget, which allow was summarily destroyed, but now many cracks lined Osiris. "Finally…Green Gadget, attack!"

The green robot struck the cracks on Osiris' body, and the mighty god shrieked and shattered into a million pieces. Dalin dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch as the giant body of his god was turned into nothing but talcum powder. "Well played." (DLP: 2200)

Hikari gulped, not quite sure what to think now. _'Dalin summoned his god in one turn so easily…but Pema was able to destroy Osiris just as quickly. Truly these two are on a level above normal duelists.'_

Pema motioned to one of the cards in his hand, and a white robot emerged. "White Gadget(1700/700) in attack mode. Now, Summon Monk lets me special summon Trap Collector(500/500)." A little elderly man with a large bag slung over his shoulder now stood amongst the other monsters.

"I can sacrifice Trap Collector to bring back a continuous trap. So, Mobile Fortress Stronghold(3000/2000) returns to the field. And with White Gadget in play his attack is three thousand." The four monsters posed briefly, showing off their power.

Dalin didn't even blink, usual to his style. "Impressive once again, however Brave Attack took up your battle phase, so you cannot attack this turn." Pema nodded, and motioned for Dalin to take his turn.

The angel duelist drew, and then a side slot on his duel disk opened up. "Activate field magic card, Land of the Dead! This card lets each player special summon a monster from the cemetery during each turn!"

The area around them changed until it was almost identical to Egypt, with long rivers and grains growing at the edge. It didn't look that strange, if it weren't for the spirits floating around. "I special summon Saint Dragon Osiris(6000/6000) to the field, and since he was summoned by Land of the Dead he can remain for more than one turn."

A green robot emerged on Pema's field. "I special summoned Green Gadget(1400/600). Of course it cannot match Saint Dragon Osiris, but it doesn't have to."

Dalin held his hand out in front of his graveyard slot and two cards popped out. "If Saint Dragon Osiris is summoned by the effect of Land of the Dead I pick up two cards from the grave and add them to my hand."

Without blinking he took the new cards and slapped them down onto his duel disk, one on each side of Osiris. "The two recovered Servants of Osiris(1800/1800) are special summoned to the field."

Dalin paused, and then neatly took one step, allowing Osiris to get its head beneath him, lifting him back up. "With no way past your barrier combo, for the moment my turn is done."

Pema drew, and then immediately the final Servant of Osiris appeared on Dalin's field. Pema allowed his Red Gadget to appear. Osiris opened its mouth and fired a blast at the new monster that vaporized it. "When a monster is summoned by you, Saint Dragon Osiris hits it with its Summon Lightning Impact, draining it of two thousand points. If it has less than two thousand it is destroyed."

"Mobile Fortress Stronghold(3000/2000), attack a Servant of Osiris!" The powerful robot attacked, but Dalin was waiting. One of his two face down cards flipped up, and Servant of Osiris fired a beam of fire from its hand.

"Prayer to Osiris can work whenever a monster with 'osiris' in its name is attacked. That monster's attacks strength is deducted from the attack power of the attacking monster." Mobile Fortress Stronghold's attack fell to twelve hundred, and then the flame destroyed it.

The monk sighed, realizing he had only been saved from damage by his Spirit Barrier. "Quite strong. I switch all four of my monsters to defense mode and activate Plight of the Weak. Turn end."

Dalin drew, and snapped his fingers. To Pema's surprise the monster that appeared on Dalin's field was none other than Seraphim Gunblader(1900/1200). "Osiris is the Lord of the Dead, so I can even revive monsters from your grave with Land of the Dead while his in play."

Pema frowned, but revived his Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000) who survived the blast from Summon Lightning Impact, albeit barely. "All I can do is pray at the moment."

"I told you my full strength would fight you. Now, face it! Wrath of Osiris activates, causing Osiris to strike all of your monsters with a Summon Lightning Impact, destroying them all!" Five separate blasts fired from Osiris' second mouth, and with each one another of Pema's monsters were destroyed.

The old monk pointed to his face-up continuous magic card. "When all monsters on my field are destroyed I can sacrifice Plight of the Weak to immediately end the opponent's turn. So now, it is my turn."

Pema paused, and then as soon as he had his new card the Summon Monk glowed, and a green little monster with magnets on its head appeared. "Summon Monk brings me Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1400)."

"Summon Lightning Impact!" The blast of energy reached for Beta, but then was blocked by a spinning barrier of some kind. One of the three cards in Pema's floating hand had flipped itself around.

"The quick-play magic card Safeguard blocks the strike, protecting Beta. Now, I play Magnetic Grasp. For every card I discard I add a monster with 'magnet' in its name to my hand, plus one. So I discard two Repayment of Losses." He tossed the two cards, and then drew two cards, as well as adding three cards to his hand.

Hikari smiled, finally understanding. _'I get what his strategy is now. His deck revolves around monsters that work together, like assembling teams. The Seraphims powered each other up, the Gadgets brought each other into the hand and powered up Mobile Fortress Stronghold, and the magnet warrior can combine together. Impressive.'_

"I send Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Beta the Magnet Warrior to the cemetery in order to special summon Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior(3500/3850). And I activate the quick-play magic card Safeguard to guard him as well!" The three magnet monsters combined together, and then the combination monster was shielded from the Summon Lightning Impact.

Dalin smiled slightly at seeing the new monster. But Pema wasn't done. "Activate Treasure of Heaven." The monk was able to draw six cards, but since Dalin already held six it did absolutely nothing for him.

"Remove Trap activates on your set card." The set card flipped up, and energy surrounded Osiris. Magnet Warrior began drifting towards it at an alarming pace.

"I trigger the targeted trap. Pull of Osiris forces you to attack Saint Dragon Osiris during this turn. Your plan has failed." Pema just smiled and another of his cards flipped around.

"Not exactly. Pump Up doubles Valkyrion's attack for the turn, giving him one thousand more points than Osiris. Now, Magnet Sword Slash!" Valkyrion jumped straight into the air, and then dragged its blade down through Osiris' middle, destroying the mighty god. (DLP: 1200)

Hikari whistled, amazed that the old monk had once again managed to defeat Osiris. And now both of the duelists had equal life points. _'Who's going to come out on top in this one?'_

One of Pema's cards moved from his hand down onto the field. "One card face down. Now…let us enter the final turn. It has been quite enjoyable."

"Yes, it has. Saint Dragon Osiris, be born again for Land of the Dead! And since he is special summon, all of my other special summoned monsters are destroyed!" The four other monsters shattered as the Egyptian god once again took to the field.

Then Dalin held up his newest drawn card. "Divine Smite destroys one magic or trap card in play if I have a divine monster on the field. In addition it deals the opponent one thousand damage." Pema frowned as Spirit Barrier exploded, leaving him with his Astral Barrier as useless. (PLP: 200)

"Saint Dragon Osiris…end it with Thunder Force!" A beam of raw godly energy exploded from the first mouth of the Egyptian god, streaking towards Valkyrion. One strike would burn it away and eliminate the last few life points that Pema had.

"Reveal face down card, Absolute End! Now your attack becomes direct on my life points! With my Duel Presence, an equal amount of damage will be dealt to you, reducing us both to zero life points at the same moment!" Hikari gasped, knowing what that meant. If their life points hit zero at the same moment, it would be a tie!

Dalin smiled slightly and then slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I respect you too much to allow this duel to end as a tie. Divine Negation is a quick-play that activates if I have a divine monster in play, and it now negates your trap's activation!"

Absolute End faded away, and the Thunder Force slammed into Valkyrion. The magnetic monster exploded, raining shrapnel down on the field. Pema smiled even as the holograms began to fade. "Thank you for such an impressive duel. You have truly proven your mettle." (PLP: 0)

As Hikari watched Dalin walked up to Pema Khandro's hand and grasped it in his own, shaking it firmly. "It was a pleasure to duel someone of your strength. Now please, you have information for us?"

"Ah yes, it's simple. To learn the location of the Puppeteer you must first speak to the immortal girl. She is the Avatar of Set in this plane of existence. Once coaxed she will give you the next piece of information. She is in Kyoto at this very moment. Please, make haste." Dalin nodded, and squeezed the old man's hand tight.

"Thank you again Pema Khandro. It has been a pleasure to know you, even if for a brief time. We will use this knowledge, and we will protect the world from the apocalypse." Pema and Dalin bowed to each other, and then their previous guide appeared, quickly ushering the two of them out of the room.

Minutes later they were back in the snow and in their snow jackets, making their way back to the airport. Time was of the essence.

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Pema sighed, feeling the presence. "You've already kill the others haven't you?"

A dark chuckle issued from right behind him, where a dark figure leaned against the wall. "You know me well old man. If only you weren't blind, then you could see the glorious carnage. I made sure to be extra messy with gutting your friends and family."

"You cannot gain information from me. I will tell you nothing." Pema had seen this event, but seeing the future did not tell you what was said. Nor did it show it after you died, so he knew he had only a handful of seconds to live. But to his surprise the other person in the room laughed, a sinister sound that shook Pema to the core.

"Old man, I don't want your information. That's useless. No, instead I've come for your eyes." Seconds later Pema knew that in his vision he did not die. His vision of the future ended because his eyes were violently plucked out of their sockets.

"Hey old man…don't pass out yet. We've got hours of brutal fun ahead of us. I know you can't see the future anymore, so let me just tell you. If your eyes were an eight ball, let's see what they'd say." The dark figure rattled the bloody eyes in the palm of his hand, laughing at whatever he saw.

"What do you know…it says 'Outlook not so good.' Guess eye balls really can see the future." The pressure of fingers against his skin, pushing through the flesh was enough to shatter the last coherent thought that Pema Khandro had in his life.

An hour later a single figure exited the monastery, whistling a merry tune as the monastery burned behind him. He didn't seem chilled despite the freezing weather and his casual clothing. "The future is looking bloody. That's good, I like bloody."

The icy wind carried the sound of his twisted laughter for miles.

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Author's Notes: Freaky, I finished this chapter at 2 a.m. Which means I was just shy of doing three chapters in one day.

_Next Time: Back in the Forbidden Tomb the young Alice faces her first true challenge as the Guardian unleashes his full power against her. But Alice was trained by the great Dalin Imaki Sumatin, so she is far from weak. But is she strong enough to overcome this foe?_

_See it all in, Well of Lost Memory!_

_Review Response_


	19. Well of Lost Memories

Author's Note: Time for Alice to get her game on! Sorry...GX dub leaking in.

**Chapter Eighteen: Well of Lost Memories**

_Alice watched Guardian carefully as he slid one of the last two cards in his hand into his duel disk, and then took the remaining cards and slipped it into his graveyard slot. "To activate this next card I discard one card from my hand. I have chosen Head of Tomb Construction(900/1400)."_

_The blonde girl gasped as behind Guardian hundreds of people wearing loincloths appeared, all of them working together and hacking away at stone, putting bricks in place. "My continuous magic card is Construction of the Tomb. In three turns this card will activate my ultimate field card, and if it activates in this manner it cannot be removed from play."_

_"So what happens if you get your field card?" Guardian glanced over his shoulder at the activity behind him, and then returned to look back at her, his face completely serious._

_"When my field card activates, victory for you becomes impossible."_

Shrugging the overconfidence off, Alice snapped a card up. "Go, Atomic Blast! This destroys all face-up monsters at a cost of my battle phase and my hand. But hey, I don't have a hand, so it's all gone!"

Guard of the Tomb blew apart, along with all four of Alice's tokens. "When Electron Sorcerer is destroyed I draw two cards, and when Proton Sorcerer dies I blast one magic or trap in card. So no more Construction of the Tomb!"

A blast of energy struck the construction area, filling it up with smoke. Then Alice drew twice, and look cocky at what she saw. "Okay next I'll…what the heck?"

The smoke faded, revealing that tomb construction was still in play. Guardian explained. "When Head of Tomb Construction is discarded to activate it, this card gains two counters. One is removed in place of it being destroyed."

"Okay, I'll just have to blow it up twice more. To get on that path I'll use the effect of Quartz Sorcerer, which lowered the level of one monster in my hand by two!" She tossed a card down onto her duel disk, and a giant tank with the atomic warning symbol now stood on her field.

"Nuclear Tank(2400/1900) is normally a level six that requires a tribute, but it got dropped to four stars, letting me summon it without a sacrifice. And guess what? Once per turn I can remove a monster from the game to have it blast a magic or trap on the field. So, Nuclear Magic Destruction!" A card popped out of her grave, and then a cannon blast came from the tank, striking the construction.

Of course the construction remained in effect, but now there were no more counters on it to protect it. "Since I have no battle phase, I'll just set this last card face down. Your turn Guardian."

Guardian drew, and then immediately placed the card face down. "One card set. Turn end. Let's see if you can stop me girl."

"Oh I will! I remove a monster from the grave to destroy Construction of the Tomb!" More cannon fire struck the ever increasing structure, but to Alice's surprise it remained standing. Guardian smirked and ejected a card from his grave.

"I can remove Head of Tomb Construction from play to add two more counters to this card. So, you still have to destroy it twice more to get rid of it." The blonde girl scowled, having hoped that she would get rid of the potentially dangerous card before it got far.

"Fine, Nuclear Tank, attack Guardian directly!" The tank leveled its cannon at the nearly defenseless duelist. But before it could fire the ground rose up, creating a trio of passages between Alice and Guardian.

"Secret Passages of the Tomb is a continuous trap card. You must choose one of these three passages for your attack. If you guess correctly then your attack becomes direct even if I have monster in play. Choose partially right and it would strike monsters if I had them. The wrong choice destroys your monster. Now, decide." Alice frowned, not sure which of the three passages to choose.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot! Nuclear Tank, go down the middle passage!" The tank rolled forwards and into the passage. Several seconds later there was the sound of an explosion, and then smoke rolled out of the passage.

"You chose wrong. Nuclear Tank has been destroyed." Guardian's smirk was wiped off his face as a ball of fire roared out of the passage and shot past him. It struck the construction work, frying a number of the works.

"Chose wrong/ Not really, in fact I chose right. When Nuclear Tank is destroyed I can blast any magic or trap in play. So there goes your last counter. Now, one monster in defense and end turn." Guardian's face went sent into a grim line as he began to realize that Alice was stronger than he had guessed.

Guardian drew, and then smiled slightly. "You tried hard, but failed. At the end of this turn my field activates. So, without further ado, I end my turn."

Alice grimaced as the structure completed itself, and then faded away. She looked around, and then realized the truth. The tomb…it was the same as what they were in. This was the tomb that had been constructed. "Your field card…it won't save you! Draw!"

She glanced at the card, and then pointed to her set monster. It flipped up, revealing itself as a massive cylindrical device. "Atomic Collider(700/2000) when flip summoned lets me destroy one card in play! I'll destroy Secret Passages of the Tomb!"

Energy hit the trap, but did absolutely nothing. "While Tomb of the Forbidden is in play each player can pay one hundred life points to prevent one of their cards from being destroyed." (GLP: 1300)

Alice didn't seem worried at all. "Still, I'll attack directly with Atomic Collider! Let's drop those life points down!" Another energy blast shot out, this one going down the far right path.

"You chose wrong, now your monster dies." The collider shuddered, but remained in play, and the attack continued to shriek down the tunnel. (ALP: 275)

"Since your trap doesn't negate attacks I was able to pay the one hundred life points to keep Atomic Collider in play. Now the attack continues, and you're about to lose life points!" Guardian didn't pause in his own play and slammed the card he held into his duel disk.

"My field card lets me play a card with 'tomb' in its name from my hand at a cost of one hundred life points. I play Tomb Defenses, First Level. This lets me draw one card when you attack, and if you guess wrong the type your monster is destroyed." Guardian slid the top card of his deck off, and then held it facing backwards towards Alice.

"I declare magic!" He flipped it around, revealing it as a monster. He shuffled it back into his deck and a giant boulder rolled out of the wall and into collider. But instead of crushing it the boulder bounced off. (ALP: 175)

"Even this trap doesn't stop the attack, so another one hundred life points lets the attack continue!" The energy attack finally erupted from the passageway and hit Guardian in the chest. As strong as he was he didn't even stumble against the attack. (GLP: 500)

Guardian folded his arms, awaiting her move's finish. "Atomic Collider can be flipped face down once per turn, so I'll do that. And then, to end my turn I'll activate the continuous magic card Manhattan Project!"

The ancient duelist drew once, and then snapped the card up. "Treasure of the Tomb lets me draw three cards when the Tomb of the Forbidden is in play." He drew three more times, and then threw down a card.

"Keeper of the Tomb(1800/1600) gains three hundred attack from my Tomb. Attack the face down Atomic Collider!" The monster that looked just like him raised its spear and threw it at the face down monster, but Alice was waiting.

"Reveal set card, Atomic Pulse! This destroys one face-up monster on your field!" A blast of green energy hit the Keeper head on, but he remained in play, just as Guardian's life points dipped down. (GLP: 400)

"I won't let Atomic Collider die so easily! I pay one hundred life points to keep it in play instead of having it destroyed in battle!" The collider appeared on the field, causing the spear to ricochet off of the metal outer covering. (ALP: 75)

The female duelist drew, and paused briefly as Manhattan Project glowed briefly. "Okay, let's get going! Radioactive Rat(200/200) in attack mode!" A glowing green rat, with skin that showed the bone through it now appeared on her field.

The rat chattered, looking positively vicious. "Radioactive Rat, head down the middle passage this time! And I'll guess trap for when he gets past!"

It scampered down the tunnel, and to Guardian's surprise it darted right out on his side, heading past his Keeper. He drew, and to his shock the card for Tomb Defenses, First Level was in fact a trap card. "Your attack…it succeeds almost succeeded. Reveal continuous trap, Tomb Defenses, Second Level!"

Alice didn't look worried at all, even as the Guardian drew the bottom card of his deck. "This card's effect works if you get past the First Level, and it cannot be destroyed until the First Level is destroyed. It is the same as First Level, only with my bottom card."

"This time your drawn card is a magic card! Radioactive Rat, deal that damage!" Guardian frowned, looking at the drawn Monster Reborn briefly before shuffling it into his deck. Then the rat scurried right up to him and bit him on the leg. (GLP: 200)

"That's not all, any damage dealt by Radioactive Rat to the opponent's life points is also added to my life points!" The rat turned about and went through the passage and back to Alice. It dropped a piece of cheese at Alice's feet, and when she leaned down and touched it the cheese vanished. (ALP: 275)

Guardian closed his eyes and pointed to his remaining set card. "Since you dealt direct damage to me I can activate the trap card Nexus of Life Energies. I now gain two thousand life points." (GLP: 2200)

"Fine, whatever. Atomic Collider, into defense mode! Then, turn ends!" Her collider vanished, leaving her just with it set, her little rat, and her face-up magic card.

Guardian drew and immediately pointed at the rat. "Keeper of the Tomb(2100/1600), slay the rat and eliminate her remaining life points."

It raised its spear and hurled it, but the rat vanished in a flash of green light, causing the spear to imbed into the ground. Alice smirked and waggled a finger at the Guardian. "Sorry, but I can sacrifice Radioactive Rat to destroy a monster in play. And since its own effect removed it from the field your attack is invalid."

The Keeper shuddered, but managed to remain standing. "I pay the hundred life points necessary to prevent my monster from being destroyed. Then I set my drawn card face down and end." (GLP: 2100)

The female duelist drew, and then slid the drawn card into her duel disk. "One card face down. Your turn Steve."

"I am not Steve, I am Guardian. Keeper of the Tomb, destroy Atomic Collider!" Just like before the Keeper jumped straight at the set monster. It emerged as the spear pierced into the card, and the spear was suddenly blown away by a wave of radiation.

"Radiation Shield negates the attack and destroys your monster!" Keeper stumbled backwards, his body exposed to painful and fatal amounts of radiation. If something wasn't done soon he wouldn't survive.

"I pay the required one hundred life points to keep Keeper in play. Pity then that your trap also negated the attack." The green glow around Keeper of the Tomb faded away, leaving the spear wielder intact. However, Guardian's life points dipped slightly. (GLP: 2000)

"You are starting to become an annoyance. One facedown. That is all." Alice laughed, happy that she was getting on his nerves. She had learned well that it was possible to win a duel because the opponent became angry and couldn't focus correctly.

She glanced at her top decked card, and then slapped it down on her field. "I'll throw out a monster in defense mode and leave it at that!"

Guardian drew, and then he threw the card out. "Beast of the Tomb(2400/0) can only be summoned if I have my field card in play. It gains three hundred attack points." A towering sphinx of stone now stood to the side of Keeper of the Tomb.

Alice gulped at the sight of the powerful monster, but knew she couldn't back down. Strong or not, she had to keep fighting. "Beast of the Tomb(2700/0), attack her newest set monster!"

A giant stone claws slammed down on her monster, blowing it to tiny little pieces. But seconds later it reformed, appearing as a metallic sphere with a red light inside of it. "I pay one hundred life points to keep Nuclear Cell(0/1400) in play!" (ALP: 175)

"It matters not! Keeper of the Tomb, attack it again!" Alice grimaced, but made the life point payment anyways. So when the spear smashed her monster apart, it was restored to full stature in seconds. (ALP: 75)

"Turn end." The Guardian's eyes bored into her, and she felt like squirming under that gaze. But Dalin's gaze had been stronger, so she could endure it.

"Let's get back on track. My turn, draw!" She slid the card free, and then frowned at whatever she saw. Guardian smirked at the disappointed look on her face.

Alice looked up and when she saw the Guardian's condescending stare, she laughed. "Just because I didn't draw the perfect card doesn't mean I can't make a useful move. Nuclear Cell now empowers me with one hundred life points for each monster in my grave!"

Nine spheres of light ejected from the machine monster, and each individual one flew into her duel disk. For every sphere that entered her duel disk she gained one hundred life points. "Since I've got nine in the grave that's nine hundred life points. Now, end turn!" (ALP: 975)

Guardian, whom Alice still mentally referred to as 'Steve', held up his drawn card. Alice easily recognized the image of an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. "Monster Reborn, revive my first fallen Keeper of the Tomb(2100/1600)!"

Now he had two monsters in play who looked exactly like him, and they seemed bound and determined to cut her to pieces with their spears. "Keeper of the Tomb, attack!" The attack hit Nuclear Cell, but did no damage as Alice paid her life points. (ALP: 875)

"Second Keeper of the Tomb, make your attack!" Yet again the monster's spear did nothing, as Alice paid the one hundred life points needed to keep her monster alive. It was coming down to a battle of who had the life points to keep their cards in play instead of a real duel. (ALP: 775)

"Lastly I have Beast of the Tomb attack." A swipe of its stone paw was enough to crush Nuclear Cell. However, Alice had no intention of letting it die, so she paid the necessary life points. (ALP: 675)

The guardian placed his hands on his hips, surveying her field with a haughty look in his eyes. "You will not survive much longer Alice Terry. You cannot defeat me so long as my field card is in play. End turn!"

The young blonde girl drew slowly, and then looked up at Guardian with a great deal of confidence. "Steve, if you were more in touch with modern times you'd have tried to destroy Manhattan Project. You see, each turn it gains a turn counter. When it reaches five turn counters I can sacrifice it to add a certain card from my deck to my hand!"

The continuous magic cards shattered, and a card popped out of her deck. She caught it and then flipped it around. Guardian frowned, feeling a pulse of power. "What's the significance of this 'Manhattan Project' then?"

"It was a scientific study that produced the first of the ultimate weapons of mankind, capable of vast destruction! Time to meet the Little Boy; here it comes, straight from the bomb bays of Enola Gay! Atom Bomb!" The instant she plugged the card into her duel disk the entire field lit up in a brilliant flash of light.

Guardian dug his feet into the stones as best he could, struggling against the force of the blast. Alice was doing the same, both of them trying to keep from being blown away. "What…what is this power?"

"Atom Bomb destroys all cards in play and cannot be negated! Then for the next three turns all monsters without 'atom', 'nuclear', or 'radioactive' in their name lose half their attack points!" The light faded, revealing the field to be completely empty. All that remained was the field card.

"Such a powerful card…" The blonde didn't respond with words, instead she tossed one of the two cards she was holding onto her duel disk. A brutal looking man with veins that pulsed a nasty green color appeared.

"You're right, it is powerful! Now, Atomic Crasher(1800/1300), attack Steve directly!" The burly man swung a meaty fist at the Guardian, striking him in the jaw. Guardian stumbled backwards, but then recovered, rubbing his jaw. (GLP: 200)

"I'll throw this card face down. Then, with all that done I'll end my turn. There's no way you can recover now, because Atom Bomb is one of my most powerful cards." A card appeared behind Atomic Crasher, and then she was done for the turn.

Guardian drew, looking surprisingly calm despite his situation. "You're very strong Alice Terry, but I have faced stronger opponents. I will not be losing. Magic card activates, Wrath of the Tomb Keeper!"

The entire room shook, and a pillar of fire erupted around Atomic Crasher. Alice gasped as it began to scream in pain. "Wrath of the Tomb Keeper destroys your monster and inflicts one hundred damage to your life points for each level of the fallen monster!"

"That's not enough Steve! I pay one hundred life points to keep my monster in play, and still remain in the game!" The flames died down, letting Atomic Crasher relax now that he was no longer completely engulfed in flames. (ALP: 175)

"That's my turn. Your turn Alice Terry."

Alice blinked, not quite sure what to make of the move. Slowly she drew, watching Guardian and his field very carefully. His field appeared empty, but he was still so confident. No, he didn't have any grave traps, this was just a bluff. "I'll call your bluff, Atomic Crasher attacks!"

Another sucker punch to the jaw was taken directly by Guardian. Again he recovered quickly, and simply glared across the field at Alice. "This duel isn't over, nor will it at all end with my defeat." (GLP: 0)

"What…how can it not be done? You've got zero life points, and I'm pretty sure that means you just lost." Guardian shook his head, looking quite confident.

"I have such a powerful spirit that it manifests itself in Darkness Games. This presence in this duel means that as long as Tomb of the Forbidden is active, I cannot lose the duel." Alice felt her breath catch in her throat, even as she set the card in her hand down on the field.

_'A duelist who can't lose as long as his field is in play? But…he made his trap indestructible!'_

He drew, and then held up his card. "Lost Treasure of the Tomb lets me pick up a magic card from my grave. I select and activate Wrath of the Tomb Keeper."

Alice threw out one hand, causing one of her two set cards to flip up. "Nuclear Shielding protects me from effect damage for this turn! Also I pay one hundred life points to keep Atomic Crasher in play!" (ALP: 75)

Since Guardian's hand was empty, Alice drew. She frowned at the sight of the card, knowing it couldn't help in this situation. _'How can I win when it's impossible to beat him? And the more attacks I make it through and the more life points I spend the weaker I feel. I can't keep this up forever.'_

Placing the card into her duel disk, she nodded to Guardian, knowing she couldn't do anything with an attack. "Your turn Steve."

"I am not Steve. Now, activate Graceful Charity." He drew three times, and then casually discarded two of them, leaving him with just one card left in his hand.

"It is time to use my power against you. By removing all three Keeper of the Tomb from my cemetery, the last one discarded by Graceful Charity, I can summon myself to the field. True Keeper of the Tomb(2500/2500), and I gain three hundred attack from the Tomb of the Forbidden!" He stepped forwards, an attack indicator appeared at his side, showing him at twenty-eight hundred.

"I attack and destroy Atomic Crasher!" He punched straight through her monster, his fist heading towards her to finish her off. But she wasn't about to lose to a single attack.

"Emergency Provisions let me sacrifice my set monster to gain one thousand life points! And when Atomic Crasher is destroyed you lose the top two cards of your deck!" Guardian slid to a halt and then jumped back to his side of the field, looking annoyed. (ALP: 75)

"Whenever I destroy a monster that monster has its effect negated. In addition, since I dealt life point damage you must discard the top five cards of your deck to the cemetery. That's all." Alice grimaced, complying and ditching five cards. They were useful cards too.

Slowly she drew, her free hand clenched tightly. _'I..I can't think of a single lesson that Senpai taught me that can help me in this situation. I mean, how do you defeat an opponent who literally cannot lose?'_

Letting out a deep and reluctant sigh she slid the card into her duel disk. "I…I set that and end my turn."

Guardian didn't even look at this drawn card before playing it. "Gift of the Tomb's Power doubles my attack score for as long as I am the only monster in play!" A deep red aura sprang up around him, and his attack score changed accordingly to fifty-six hundred.

"Here I come!" Alice braced herself, triggering her trap as quickly as she could. This was all she could do to protect herself, but it wasn't going to be enough. His fist hit her in the stomach and she went flying into the far wall.

Her vision swam in and out, and she could vaguely feel blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. She wondered to herself if he had ruptured something with that blow. "Your life points…are intact?"

Quickly Guardian realized why, as he read the effect of her now face-up trap card. "Super Reduction Barrier. I see, it reduces all damage you take during this turn to one hundredth of what it should be." (ALP: 19)

"Alice Terry, you have fought bravely, but I am far beyond being a normal opponent. I am an opponent who cannot be defeated, so fighting is useless. Surrender and spare yourself the pain of fighting on." The blonde girl struggled to breath, let alone answer.

_'Fighting on…so that's what Senpai meant.'_ She could hear his words echo in her mind as clear as day. It was as if he were standing right there with her, looking down at her and explaining in that deep voice of his.

_"Alice, what you should know is that there are opponent's out there who are beyond regular means of fighting back. They are and will be more powerful than you. If you want to defeat them, you have two things to learn. One of them you should already know, and the final thing…when you discover what that final piece is, then you will be a true duelist."_

_'The first that I should have known. It's that no matter how powerful the opponent is, victory is impossible if you don't keep fighting. And the second…that's the reason we duel. And I duel…I duel for…'_ She struggled to her feet, using the wall as a brace.

Guardian watched her appraisingly, impressed by the fact that she was able to stand. "So you choose to continue fighting? Brave of you, I respect that."

She placed two fingers on the top card of her duel disk, and then looked up at Guardian with heavy lidded eyes. "I duel…I duel to honor Senpai, the man I love and respect! I duel in his name! Now it's my turn! Draw!"

Alice looked at the card, and then sighed with relief. "This is has been the toughest duel I've ever fought Steve, but now it's over. In honor of Senpai, I'm going to win this! Activate magic card: Honor Amongst Enemies!"

A bright white light settled over the field, and Guardian looked around in confusion. "What does this card do? Do you really think this one card can turn the tide of this duel against me when I cannot as long as my field card is in play?"

She closed her eyes, smiling slightly, and the next words out of her mouth caught him by surprise. "Actually, the duel is already over. You said it when you first mentioned your special presence, that as long as your field card is 'active' then you can't lose. That's not the same as being in play."

"So? What does this matter?" She laughed weakly, the damage to her to her body once again catching up to her.

"Because…during the turn Honor Amongst Enemies is activated…all card effects are turned off. Which means Tomb of the Forbidden…is no longer active for this turn." Guardian frowned, realizing that his own power was seeping away, reducing him to his starting twenty-five hundred.

"So you have made it possible to defeat me this turn, yet you have no more cards to play. So even despite this card you have failed in defeating me." Again she just laughed at him, and he began to grow furious, unable to understand what she saw as funny.

"Before, with your presence and that card…normal rules about losing didn't apply. But now, since it isn't active…well then, your life points work just like anybody else's at zero. Which means you lost the instant I played my card!" Guardian stared in horror at his life point counter, realizing it was true. (GLP: 0)

Guardian bowed his head, and his body began to fade away. "You have passed Alice Terry. You may continue into this Forbidden Tomb unhindered. You are pure and strong, and thus you have earned this right. Congratulations."

Alice gave him a thumbs up just before he completely faded away. "Thanks for the great duel Steve." Then she passed out.

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Alice awoke to the sound of vaguely familiar voices. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she realized where she was. She was in Rishid's arms, being carried by him. "Ah, you woke up. You did well Alice, congratulations. Dalin was right to have faith in your abilities."

"Senpai really had faith that I would win?" The twenty-one year old beamed like a school girl getting a compliment from her teacher who also happened to be her secret crush. As Rishid thought about it, the analogy seemed far too accurate.

Isis' gasp wrenched them from their reverie, and when they looked at where her flashlight was pointing, all they saw was a large stone table with dried blood marks on it. Alice looked at it weakly. "What's the big deal? It's just a bloody table."

"This…this is where Am-heh is supposed to be chained for all eternity. Yet…Am-heh is no longer here." Alice and Rishid both shivered in fear, not wanting to think about what that implied. If that terrible monster was no longer here…then where was he?

"Isis…I think I may have an idea what happened to Am-heh. Once we get out of here I'll explain. Let's just…let's get that memory well thing done." Isis nodded numbly, and they walked past the empty table and into a broad circular chamber.

There at the center of chamber was a large pool of blood, only it seemed to be glowing with an inner light. "The purified blood of Am-heh…the Well of Lost Memories."

Taking in a deep breath Isis approached the well and knelt down next to it. Slowly she reached out her fingers and placed them into the purified blood. "I come seeking the past, the lost memory of a hidden secret. The lost memory that will tell us how to destroy the Avatar of Apep once and for all!"

The blood began to froth, and as Alice and Rishid watched, it appeared to grow solid around her finger. Rishid looked ready to rush to her side as her eyes rolled back into her head and she screamed, the blood frothing intensely. "Isis…be safe…be strong!"

Just a handful of seconds later, though it had seemed like an eternity, the blood released its grip on Isis and hurled her backwards. Isis slowly curled up into a ball and shook, tears filling her eyes. Rishid set Alice down and rushed to her side. "Isis, what's wrong?"

"It was…it was everything that the Avatar of Apep has ever done. All of his past, his violent actions. It was…horrible. And now…now I know his secret, the secret about how to kill him forever." Despite the news, she still seemed shaken.

"How? How do we kill the Avatar of Apep?" Alice and Rishid waited with baited breath as Isis gathered her strength to speak that secret. That lost memory.

"The secret to killing the Avatar of Apep…is to destroy that which gives him existence. To destroy the Avatar would mean destroying Apep itself. In other words…it cannot be done by mortal means." Rishid looked crestfallen, feeling worthless. They had come all this way, Alice had been forced to duel for her life, and now the information they had was useless.

"There is one more thing I learned. The Avatar's true role in the coming Apocalypse. We must bring Dalin this information immediately! It is for his ears only!"

Nodding, Rishid helped Isis to her feet, and then helped Alice. With one arm supporting both of them the trio began to walk back through the tomb, leaving the Well of Lost Memory behind.

When they were out of sight a form rose up from beneath the blood, the life blood rolling off his body. "The Well of Lost Memory…purified blood of Am-heh…pathetic fools. As if the blood of Am-heh could ever be purified fully. Why one little bit of dark energy and a person could make the Well tell someone whatever they wanted…now couldn't they?"

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Author's Notes: I'm a chapter freak now, it's official!

_Next Time: The ancient monstrosity known as Am-heh has been taken from his tomb, and there's no telling what he is. While contemplating this terrifying situation the trio of Alice, Rishid, and Isis rush information to Dalin. Using tips from Pegasus and the trio, Ryu and Autumn race to discover the hidden location of Am-heh. But what they discover will shock them to the core. _

_See it all in, Human Processing Plant #312!_

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Tokuha is very powerful, with or without chaos. Also, I came up with the Gilford Deck. You see, Gilford the Lightning is my favorite monster, and I even have a real card game compliant Gilford Deck.

Black Death X: I play occasionally with friends with what we call 'fan decks' which use our created cards. However I also have several decks with normal cards, and I'm actually very good at it. I've won a number of tournaments, and my friends can attest to me kicking their asses. As for Dalin's true power, I do in fact have an Obelisk Deck for him, along with an Osiris Deck, and a Ra Deck. As for that guy…you'll see.

Darksoulkai: It took a lot of time yeah, but I did half of one chapter on Saturday, and then finished it and the next one on Sunday. The third one I finished at 2 a.m. Monday morning.

Time Mage: I will say nothing. Nothing! Mwuahahahahahaha!


	20. Human Processing Plant 312

Author's Note: Reader beware.

**Chapter Nineteen: Human Processing Plant #312**

Ryu sighed, ignoring the cheerful humming from the seat next to him. Apparently when deciding to help them Pegasus had also invited himself along on their quest. So far they had already sent out messages to those Pegasus could find direct contacts for, and now they were in the process of rooting out others.

Their current aim was to get in touch with the reclusive group formerly known as the Doom Soldiers, Dartz's right hand men. Amelda, Varon, and Raphael were powerful duelists, and because they could wield the power of the Orichalcos most likely had some degree of magical ability.

Ryu wouldn't have minded the presence of Pegasus if it weren't for the incessant humming. After all, despite having lost to Yugi years before, Pegasus was still one of the world's finest duelists, and the game's creator with knowledge of every card. _'Game creator or not, if he doesn't stop with the damned humming I think I'll smack him!'_

"Ooo, a message, how interesting." The former gang member's attention was drawn fully to the platinum haired duelist who was currently leaning forward in his seat on the plane. After fiddling with a few dials a screen in front of them flicked on, giving them a clear view of Isis.

"Ahhh! Isis, how wonderful to see you! And is that the brooding Rishid I see behind you? To what do I owe the honor of this phone call?" Isis appeared as calm as ever despite Pegasus' exuberant greeting. She did however crack a smile at his boyish enthusiasm.

"Pegasus, it is good to see you again. Unfortunately I come baring heavy news. If our young companion's theory is correct then everyone is in danger. Myself, Rishid, and Alice are currently attempting to meet Dalin, so you, Ryu, and Autumn must deal with this matter." Ryu and Autumn slid closer so they could get in on the conversation.

Once he was sure he was within view of the camera, Ryu jumped into the conversation. "What's the thing we have to deal with? We are kind of busy searching for the Doom Soldiers right now."

The Egyptian woman didn't even blink at the sudden outburst. "I'm afraid this matter takes precedence over your previous assignment. I'm sure you're aware of the new mystic drug going around called 'Blood' that grants people Darkness Powers, correct?"

Autumn rubbed her chin, thinking back on their previous duels. She recognized the name indeed. "I've heard mention of it on the news, but not as a mystic drug. On the other hand all of us were attacked and forced into duels by some freaks using that stuff. And it definitely gave them Darkness Powers, if not extremely powerful ones."

"It seems that we have discovered the potential source of this drug. If Alice's theory is right then a deadly force is just waiting to be unleashed upon the world. You're going to have go and seek out whoever is handing out Blood and bring a stop to its production." The three duelists exchanged glances.

Ryu wasn't going to take that easily. "I don't know about this. How do you expect us to track these guys down with so little information? What are we supposed to do, sniff around for them? If anybody knew then the police would have been all over it already."

Immediately Pegasus shook a finger right in Ryu's face, grinning like a maniac. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong Ryu-boy! As a matter of fact I was recently outbid by a relatively minor company for the rights to an old meat processing plant. I was going to make it into a card production plant, but they got it first."

The younger duelist shrugged, looking bored. "Yeah, so what? Just because some company outbid you doesn't mean anything to me."

"They just happen to be a company that was an offshoot of Paradias, you know, the company owned and controlled by Dartz. And my own information sources say that Paradias has been under new management since a few months after the Eikyuu dilemma." Ryu and Autumn exchanged glances, remembering their experiences with the Seal of Orichalcos, even though they hadn't dealt with Dartz.

"You're saying that this plant may be where Blood is being made? Well then, what are we waiting for?" He grinned, cracking his knuckles, already imagining bursting in on a bunch of drug lords and beating them to within an inch of their life. Something like the old gang days.

Isis couldn't help but frown at Ryu's sudden gung-ho attitude, and wondered if it might be bad to send these three on this mission. However, there was no other current option. "Very well then, good luck to all three of you."

With that the image faded, leaving the three of them staring at a blank screen. Pegasus picked up a side phone and pressed a single button, ringing up the pilot of their private plane. "Croquet, turn us about. We have some new coordinates."

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Ryu looked up at the plain warehouse in front of them. It was a sparse gray color, and it was in the middle of nowhere in Colorado, a state which Pegasus had assured him 'was of no consequence to anyone'.

A pulsing from his right hand made him look down and he willed the golden gauntlet to appear on his hand. He reached out for the warehouse, and suddenly images began flashing through his head. "GET OUT!"

The other two turned to stare at him as he dropped to his knees, both hands gripping at his head. The gauntlet was glowing brightly, but as they rushed to aid him the light faded away. He let his arms fall to the ground, supporting him as he panted for breath. "This place…it holds horrible memories…suffering beyond anything I though was possible."

Autumn gulped, looking up at the massive but simplistic structure. If the gauntlet was reacting so heavily and giving Ryu these horrifying memories then whatever rested within the building must be horrifying indeed. "This has to be the place."

Pegasus nodded slowly, even his carefree mannerisms gone in the sight of what memories of this place had done to Ryu. Carefully they helped the weakened duelist to his feet and started marching him into the warehouse. _'Time to cross the Rubicon. There's no turning back now.'_

Autumn gripped Ryu's shoulder hard, making him focus with her on the cameras that were panning around the building. If what Misuno was saying in her head was right, the magic they were casting together would blind the cameras to their presence. "In we go."

Under the pressure of Pegasus' hand the back door creaked open, allowing all three of them to slip in. The smell hit them like a blast of fire from a furnace. "Oh dear god…"

Even Ryu, who had smelled similar things, gagged at the smell. Autumn leaned over and emptied out the little bit of food she had eaten today onto the ground, and Pegasus looked close to doing the same. "It's the smell of fresh and dried blood…so much of it."

Straightening his back, Ryu moved away from the two, supporting his own weight again. "You two stay here, I'll go investigate further. If I need you I'll call you."

He started to walk ahead, but was stopped when he felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. He looked back and found Pegasus giving him an intense stare with his one eye. "I'm afraid I can't let you go alone. There's no telling what's out there, and I led us here. I'll go with you."

Autumn pushed herself off her knees and got back to her feet, ignoring the fact that she had just thrown up moments ago. "I'm going as well. I have to go, it's something that I need to do. We have to stop whatever is going on here."

Ryu frowned, thinking about how the two would react to whatever was ahead. Pegasus had shown that he could handle himself pretty well, but Autumn was still sensitive. Then again if worse came to worse he could count on Misuno or AB taking over. "Alright then, let's do this. But be quiet, we're sneaking around here."

Both of them gave him a brief nod, and then they were on their way, Ryu in the lead. Slowly he inched around the corner, scanning the hallway to see if anyone was there. "It's clear, and so long as our spell holds the cameras aren't an issue. Let's move."

Again they slipped down the hallway, moving as quickly as they could without making much noise. Yet again they reached a corner, and now Ryu could hear some sort of noise. It sounded like…

"Brace yourselves, one more hallway." They crept forwards, the terrible smell assaulting their noses, and the sounds from before growing louder. By this time Pegasus and Autumn had also recognized the sounds they were hearing.

When they rounded the corner they got their confirmation of exactly what those noises were. Ryu clapped a hand over Autumn's mouth and shot a glare at Pegasus, mentally telling him not to make a sound. But they had every reason to react badly, because the sounds they were hearing were the sobs and screams of living human begins.

Autumn's entire body was quivering, sobs threatening to break out at the sight before them. Pegasus had his one eye downcast and a hand pressed against his chest, where his heart was racing. "How could anyone do this to another human being?"

Meat processing plants in the United States were notorious for being just a hair breadth away from being shut down at all times, with strict regulations on cleanliness required. Large slabs of various types of animal would hang from meat hooks while not in use, and then moved into large grinders for processing. "I'll never eat meat again…"

The sounds of suffering were coming from human beings of varying ages hanging from those meat hooks by their bare hands, the hooks spearing through their palms. They were all stripped naked, their flesh lacerated and bleeding. "Who would do this?"

Although the other two were looking away, Ryu knew he had to investigate further. He continued to scan the room, taking in all of the horrors to be seen. Beneath the rows upon rows of human beings hanging by meat hooks were intricate symbols painted into the ground, and based on the reddish black color Ryu figured it was also blood. _'It's a ritual or something…'_

Motioning for the others to stay he slipped forwards, keeping along the edge of the wall, moving further into the room. Once he had covered a distance of about twenty feet he saw exactly what had become of the giant vats that were usually used to process the blood from the slaughtered animals. The rows of hanging people were slowly but surely moving until they hung over the vat.

Once there a bored looking man or woman, depending on the specific vat, would begin to cut them with blood encrusted knives, letting the blood drip freshly into the vat below. These were the people who were sobbing the most as their wounds were freshly reopened. _'They aren't killing anybody! They're just using them over and over again as a source of blood!'_

Ryu could only imagine what the meat grinders were now used for. That would be the perfect way for them to deal with anybody who happened to die during the process. And as he thought about the large number of people in the plant, he came to a sudden realization. _'The wave of kidnappings…all those missing people…this is where they're going!'_

The entire place was a factory for torturing human beings and using their blood as a key ingredient in the creation of the horrible mystical drug called quite simply Blood. _'That's why the police can't trace it in people's systems. It's just regular blood! But how could human blood give other human beings darkness powers?'_

"Trespassers, how pleasant." The confident voice in English brought Ryu's attention back to where the others had been waiting. To his horror they were each being held by the arm by a bored looking security guard.

The man who had spoken was dressed in a business suit, his black hair combed neatly to one side. He looked almost bored as he surveyed Pegasus and Autumn. "It's rare that we get anyone who practically volunteers to be a supplier of our prime ingredient, but if you insist I have some free spots for you."

Autumn spit at him, the spittle splattering against his cheek. He growled deep in his throat and whipped the saliva off. He closed his eyes, looking calm and in control…and then he slammed his fist into her face. She would have been sent tumbling to her back if it weren't for the guard's grip keeping her up. But her nose was bleeding profusely, and she looked barely conscious. "Nobody disrespects me. I'd like to say they'd make it extra painful for you, but at this point that is impossible. Take them and hang them up with the rest!"

Ryu glanced down at the gauntlet on his hand, considering his options. He wasn't an expert in the item's use, but he did know he could take those two security guards by surprise if he got close. They wouldn't be able to draw their weapons if he was fast. _'I have to think this through quickly!'_

Already the guards were dragging Pegasus and Autumn towards the rows of hooks, Autumn kicking and screaming and Pegasus looking like he was just barely keeping his fear in check. _'I won't let them get hurt! No more thought, it's time for action!'_

The guards approached two open hooks, ignoring the sobs and thrashing of the people around them. They began to manhandle Pegasus and Autumn up towards the hooks which lowered to meet them. "Everybody struggles at first, but you'll get used to the pain after a while. Of course you'll never get used to the whole process, nobody has."

"Fuck you!" Autumn tried to swing her head back to catch the guard in the nose, but he was obviously experienced in dealing with struggling victims and easily avoided the blow. He began to stretch out her hands, placing them just above the hooks. One thrust down and the hooks would pierce through her flesh.

"Kyaa!" The security guard had barely enough time to look up before somebody swung down from the conveyer line and a pair of feet slammed into his face, sending him flying backwards, blood spurting from a shattered nose.

The second guard released Pegasus and dropped his hand down to his gun, trying to pull it out and train it on Ryu before he could make the charge. Just as his hand found the clasp and began to get it out a fist collided with the back of his head, making him lose balance. Ryu capitalized on this mistake and grabbed the man's arm, slinging him over his own shoulder and into the far wall. He slid down, unconscious.

Ryu picked up the fallen guard, looking up at Pegasus who was busy rubbing his sore fist. The eccentric billionaire smirked, looking a little bit like his normal carefree self. "That certainly is more painful than it looks in the movies."

"It's about to become more painful! You three…you've trespassed enough. You're too good to be turned into the watered down form of Blood, that's for sure. Of course that's the only way to keep you sane and not turn you into murderous animals but…well I'll let you get killed by my special guards. Hanson, Vincent, heel!" The business man had appeared at the end of the conveyer rows, and snapped his fingers.

Ryu narrowed his eyes, stepping in front of Pegasus as the older man helped Autumn back up. He gulped when two shapes slinked out from the shadows and sat on their haunches next to the business man.

"What the hell…what's happened to them?" The creatures sitting at the man's side weren't dogs at all, but rather people. They were dressed in little more than rags, their skin scuffed and covered by dried blood. Their mouths were dripping with their own slobber, and their eyes held a murderous rage barely contained.

The dark haired man reached out with each hand and stroked the two feral men's heads, causing them to growl and stiffen, though they didn't attack. "This is the result of pure Blood. I don't know how it's made, but it's the original base for the process we use to create this artificial form of Blood. These men feel no pain, have supernatural strength and speed, and they are nothing more than bundles of hate and rage, coupled with the desire to rip apart everything they see. Training them was…very difficult."

Ryu cocked the hammer of the .45 back, raising the pistol to take aim at the man and his two 'pets'. "Whether or not they feel pain, this will kill them just like it would kill anybody else. And you? You'll die as well for all your sick actions! This place needs to be shut down to stop the flow of Blood to the world!"

"Stop the flow? Boy, you're ignorant. This isn't the primary or original factory, nor is it the only factory that produces Blood. It's being made all around the world, and this is Human Processing Plant #312 of the North American Division. Even if you blew this place straight to hell you wouldn't make a difference." Ryu heard gasps from both Pegasus and Autumn, but he kept his surprise to himself. There was no way he was giving this freak a psychological advantage over him.

"Be that as it may I'm still bringing this factory down on your head and the heads of all the sick bastards you have working here! Now, die bastard!" He pulled the trigger, an explosion of sound coming from the gun as the bullet erupted from the end. But instead of blowing a hole in the man's head it struck one of the two feral men in the shoulder, as he had jumped into the way.

The business man smirked, stroking the man's hair. "Good work Hanson, Master Zane appreciates it. Now, go bring me back another victim for the process. Sick 'em!"

Never in his life had Ryu seen anyone move as fast as the two dog-like men did. He jerked the gun slightly to the left, taking aim at the first one and firing off two rounds at it. They hit the psychotic feral man head in the chest, but he didn't even slow down. "Shit!"

He threw himself to the side, rolling to avoid the strike of the one he had looked away from. To his shock the fist that had been swung at him hit the cement and sent cracks spiderwebbing. _'Damn it, they're stronger than I ever could have guessed!'_

They were after him again in seconds, lust for blood in their eyes. Without thinking it through Ryu snapped the pistol up and emptied the clip at the closest one, bullets peppering the former man's flesh. Ryu grimaced as one bullet shot through the creature's face, dropping it like a rock. _'Shit…I panicked and now I'm out!'_

He had seen death by gun before, but he had never seen a reaction like what happened next. Instead of acting out in rage or completely ignoring it, the remaining freak howled and descended on his fallen companion, his bare hands ripping into the dead monster's flesh. "Autumn, Pegasus, let's get out of here!"

The older man jerked Autumn to her feet and the two started running towards Ryu, who was waiting for them before starting back to the exit. He tossed the now useless gun aside, hoping that the beast that was once a man remained distracted for a bit longer. _'Come, just stay there you freak!'_

Zane sighed and snapped his fingers, bringing the beast's attention to him. "Vincent, stop having fun right now. Those three are getting away, now go rip them limb from limb. Remember, it's more fun when they're alive isn't it? Now go Vincent, kill!"

Immediately Vincent was charging towards them, or more specifically directly at Pegasus and Autumn. "Damn it!" With a roar of his own to match the beast's Ryu threw himself at it, slinging his fist at the monster's face. The glowing gold gauntlet pounded into the side of the monster's face, hurling it backwards.

"Pegasus, Autumn, keep going! I'll hold this monster off as long as I can!" They stare at him for a second in shock, but his absolutely serious look told them what they needed to know. Pegasus grabbed Autumn by the arm and started dragging her away.

She flailed at Pegasus, horrified as the beast tackled Ryu to the ground and began grabbling with him, snarling as it tried to sink its teeth into him. "We can't just leave him! We've got to help him!"

"Help him how? By getting in his way? If we want to help Ryu we have to leave, it's the only way out of here! We need to rethink our strategy if we're going to do anything worthwhile!" He felt his heart hardening even as he dragged her towards the exit, knowing that he was condemning Ryu to death…even if it was by the man's own word.

They were jerked to a halt by a scream of pain, and even Pegasus looked back to see what had happened. The drug addled human had sunk his teeth into Ryu's left side and appeared to be doing its best to rip him open with jaw strength alone. At the same time Ryu was landing as many blows as he could onto the monster's head and body, but it simply shrugged them off. "I won't let Ryu die here!"

Pegasus gasped when Autumn successfully jerked her arm out of his grip and started running forwards. Neither Ryu or the monster noticed, but the head of the factory, Zane as he called himself, looked equally as surprised. "What the hell?"

When Autumn dropped to the ground next to the ground who had been manhandling her earlier, Pegasus understood. She worked as fast as she could, Ryu's screams the perfect incentive. Finally she worked the clasp free and cocked the hammer back, whirling the gun around to face the monster.

The bullet that tore into its side easily caught the monster's attention, pulling it away from Ryu. Howling in rage at being attacked it leapt off Ryu and ran towards Autumn instead. Her eyes widened in terror at the incoming beast, and she started squeezing the trigger indiscriminately, not taking a moment to aim. Just like Ryu's shots before, the bullets did damage but didn't even slow it down. _'It's truly a monster!'_

When the gun clicked empty she panicked, as it was only a handful of feet away from her. As its hate filled eyes locked with her, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to die. _'It'll rip me apart...I wonder if…it'll hurt.'_

She closed her eyes, and felt something wet and hot spray across her face. She sat there on the cement like that for several seconds, waiting for impending death. When nothing happened she looked up. What she found wasn't what she was expecting. "W…what?"

The former human was twitching on the ground in front of her, obviously still alive because of its thrashing teeth and furious eyes, but it wasn't moving. Standing over it, breathing heavily, was Ryu, his side bleeding a little. "Even these freaks can't move if you break their necks, and a flying kick to the back of the neck will do that even to the strongest person."

Zane gulped, looking on with trepidation and fear as the former gang member stalked over to the conveyer line, snapped a hook off of it, and then proceeded to walk back to the paralyzed beast. With one swing he buried the meat hook into its head with a meaty thunk, ending its movement. "That's gonna be you and the rest of your buddies."

The business man took a cautious step back as Ryu began stalking towards him, Pegasus coming from the opposite side and Autumn waiting behind. "I…I'll call the other guards!"

"You don't have any other guards, everyone here is either a worker, or hanging from hooks. All you needed was those two security flunkies and your super drug addicts, isn't that right? Now you're all alone, and I'm going to make an example of you." Ryu cracked his knuckles, ready to inflict some serious harm.

Zane shivered at the intense gaze, and then his eyes lit up with sudden realization. "I know how to deal with you after all! The power of the second stage of Blood runs through my veins, and with it…I invoke a level four Darkness Game!"

An orb of darkness raised around Ryu and Pegasus, trapping them inside with the now cocky business man. "You two, you've never experienced anything like this. It'll be a duel, regardless of if you know how to play! Two on one because I'm generous!" (ZLP: 4000)

A jet black duel disk formed on his arm, deck already in place. Ryu and Pegasus snickered, each of them triggering their own duel disks. Ryu slipped six cards off his deck, taking the advantage of the first turn. "You've made your last mistake. I'm Ryu Shigeru, a professional duelist." (RLP: 4000)

Pegasus drew five to match the five that Zane was holding, his cocky mannerisms returning. "Yes, this could quite well be the stupidest decisions I've ever heard. Since you obviously don't know, I am Pegasus J. Crawford, inventor of Duel Monsters and former champion of the entire game." (PLP: 4000)

Zane frowned, some of his confidence slipping away. But his eyes pulsed red as he drew on the power of the second stage of Blood to reinforce his will. "It doesn't matter; in a Darkness Game with the power of Blood 2 fueling me I am more powerful than any single duelist!"

Ryu shrugged, and tossed out a card. "Keep talking cocky boy. Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600) in attack mode and then I'll throw down two face downs. That's it from my end."

The blue skinned dragon shrieked even as Pegasus drew his own sixth card. "Ooo, what a wonderfully magnificent hand. I suppose I'll start by placing a monster in defense mode." A card appeared horizontally in front of him.

"Then like Ryu-boy I'll cover two cards. Why that's the end of my turn, your chance to show us what you're made of Zaney-boy." Ryu chuckled at the irritated look on Zane's face. It was obvious that Pegasus overly friendly dueling manner caught everyone off guard.

"You better believe I'll show you what I'm made of! I'm made of just what anybody else is: blood! My turn and my draw!" He drew, holding the card up for both of them to see. It was a magic card that showed globes of blood in human form.

"Go magic card, Blood Puppet Ritual! For every increment of one hundred life points I pay I can generate one Blood Puppet(200/200) token, none of whom take up monster zones. So, I pay thirty-nine hundred life points!" He groaned as blood began seeping from the very pores of his skin, coming together until they created thirty-nine individual puppets of blood. (ZLP: 100)

"Each turn….each turn I can sacrifice one Blood Puppet to deal you its attack as damage. Blood Spear on that cocky jerk!" One of the puppets shot forward, slamming into Ryu's body and exploding, spraying him with the thick ichor. (RLP: 3800)

Recovering his breath as his own produced drug replenished him; Zane slipped two of his remaining cards into his duel disk. "Those two face down, and then I'll set a monster in defense mode, just like Pegasus. End turn!"

Ryu drew. "I summon Diamond Soldier(1800/1600) emerges and attacks your face down monster!" A warrior in perfectly shimmering diamond armor was summoned from his card and instantly shot at the set monster, slamming its sword into the face down creature.

"You've fallen for it! Blood Magician(1700/1900) takes control of any monster that it beats in battle, even if that's just in defending! Come to me Diamond Soldier!" The soldier's eyes went vacant as it floated over to Zane's field. (RLP: 3700)

"Actually, that works perfectly well in my own advantage. Even if this attack will damage me, I'm perfectly willing to destroy it. Sapphire Dragon, destroy Diamond Soldier!" A burst of blue crystal flames scorched the warrior, leaving little but ash in its place. (RLP: 3600)

"When Diamond Soldier is destroyed I can take a jeweled dragon from my hand or deck and summon it to the field. So now I'll introduce to you a monster after your own heart, the Bloodstone Dragon(2900/1500)!" A dragon with blood red scales and eyes now stood on Ryu's field, staring down at Blood Magician and Zane as if they were snacks.

Pegasus' eyes widened as he saw what Ryu was intending to do. If he did it wouldn't end well for them. "Ryu, wait a moment!"

Unfortunately for him his dueling partner was already too far into the command to notice his declaration. "Bloodstone Dragon, fricassee that puny magician!" A belch of flames consumed the monster, leaving Zane's field open of monsters.

The dark haired business man smirked, and Ryu gasped as Bloodstone Dragon moved over to Zane's field. "The monster that slays Blood Magician comes under my control. So thank you for the monster. Any other moves?"

Ryu shook his head, berating himself mentally for making such a stupid move. _'Next time I'll wait and hear Pegasus out before making a move like that.'_

Now it was Pegasus' turn, and he looked supremely confident. He pointed to his face down monster and it flipped up. What stood on his field was a bearded man with glasses hunched over a desk, drawing something. "Meet Cartoonist(300/500)! He's a lot like me, an artist, and as long as he's in play I can consider 'Toon World' to be in effect."

Ryu let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Pegasus' toons could easily clinch the match. Zane didn't get the significance though, because Toon World was a one of a kind card owned by Pegasus and Pegasus alone. "It's time to activate another of Cartoonist's effect, Art Attack!"

Pegasus held up one of the four cards he was holding and proceeded to insert it into his graveyard. "By discarding a card from my hand Cartoonist lets me special summon a toon from my hand, deck, or cemetery to the field. Meet the cuddly and ultimately powerful Blue Eyes Toon Dragon(3000/2500)!"

A psychotic cartoon form of Seto Kaiba's infamous dragon popped out of one of the pages that the Cartoonist was drawing on, and it began sticking its tongue out at Zane. "That cartoon freak won't be touching me, even if it is slightly stronger than Bloodstone Dragon."

"Indeed, that's true. After all, this toon can't attack the first turn he's summoned. Truly a pity. But since he was a special summon I can also bring out these girls to join the party, Toon Gemini Elves(1900/800)!" A feminine pair of monsters, who would have been seductive beauties if real, had been turned into silly caricatures of their original selves.

"Since these girls can't attack this turn either, why I suppose that's the end of my turn as well. Back to you Zaney-boy." Zane frowned, but immediately pointed at his set cards, which flipped up to reveal themselves as continuous trap cards.

"During your end phase I activate both of my trap cards, Life-Absorbing Machines each of them! During my standby phase each one grants me back half the life points I paid for effects in the previous turn. Together that means I get back it all!" He chuckled as he drew, his life points pumping back up. (ZLP: 4000)

"Blood Spear!" Ryu braced himself as another of the puppets slammed into him, further draining his life points. He could see what was going to happen next, and he nodded to Pegasus to let him know he was fine. (RLP: 3400)

"Now, Bloodstone Dragon will attack Sapphire Dragon!" The larger dragon sent a streamer of flame at the smaller, but Ryu was ready for it. He depressed a button on his disk and one of his two set cards flipped up.

"Simple but easy, Negate Attack stops you in your tracks!" Zane's eyes burned bright red as he saw the trap, and he snapped one of the cards he was holding around in a complete arc so he could show it to Ryu.

"Negative Morality lets me pay one thousand life points to negate one effect! So Negate Attack fizzles, allowing my attack to continue!" Ryu grimaced as the rippling of energy faded away, and the flame slammed into Sapphire Dragon, burning it alive. (RLP: 2400, ZLP: 3000)

"Don't think I don't know Bloodstone Dragon's effect! I pay fifteen hundred life points to double the damage it's done this turn! Feel the pain!" Ryu screamed as flames erupted all around him, scorching his flesh. Worse yet, he was sure he could feel the bite wound bubbling. (RLP: 1400, ZLP: 1500)

The flames faded, letting Ryu go. He staggered, nearly dropping to the ground, but still managed to remain on his feet. Zane looked supremely confident at the sight of the weakened duelist. "That cost twenty-five hundred life points total but…I'll get those life points back next turn won't I?"

"Maybe so but…I've still got a response. Reveal continuous trap card, Gem Mine! Whenever I lose a monster I get to search for and add a jeweled dragon or its rider from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of his deck which he easily caught.

"That doesn't matter, I've got you where I want you. Set two cards face down, and then end turn!" He sneered at Ryu, who in return sneered right back. Then Ryu drew his card for the turn.

Ryu glanced down at the cards he was holding, and saw a combo ready and waiting. "I play Diabolic Servitude, raising Diamond Soldier from the grave. But he won't stick around, because I tribute him for Emerald Dragon(2400/1000)!"

A larger, green skinned version of Sapphire Dragon appeared, roaring at Bloodstone Dragon. The bigger red skinned dragon just roared right back, drowning out the weaker monster's roar. "Bloodstone Dragon is stronger, but not for long. I use my recovered Diabolic Servitude to bring back Sapphire Dragon!"

Zane shrugged, brushing the monster off. After all, it was much weaker than the monster he had. "You seem too cocky Zane, so I'll teach you a lesson. Activate Union Copy, which lets me discard one card to treat one monster on the field as the union component to another monster I have in play. Now, Sapphire Dragon acts as Emerald Paladin and equips to Emerald Dragon!"

The blue dragon morphed into a green armored warrior and leapt up onto Emerald Dragon's back. "Together at last, and Emerald Dragon now gains three hundred points! Since that's not enough to beat Bloodstone Dragon I'll throw Dragon Treasure into the mix!"

Zane frowned as Emerald Dragon's attack points rose by a total of six hundred points, making it reach three thousand attack. "So it's one hundred points higher than Bloodstone Dragon. What makes you think my set cards aren't traps?"

"I don't know, let's find out. Emerald Burst Stream!" Green flames licked at the edges of Emerald Dragon's mouth, and then with that command it unleashed them. A pure stream of that crystal fire shot out and hit Bloodstone Dragon, making it explode into pixels like so many monsters before it. (ZLP: 1400)

Ryu then gave a nod to Pegasus, who drew for the turn. "Ah yes, perfect. I'll discard another card to bring out the second Blue Eyes Toon Dragon(3000/2500) and then I'll summon on my own a Toon Masked Sorcerer(900/1400)."

Two more cartoon monsters popped out of the pages of the Cartoonist, completely filling all five of Pegasus' monster zones. "Since toons are special summons, I'll tribute Toon Masked Sorcerer to summon Toon Summoned Skull(2500/1200)!"

A crazed cartoon version of the demon monster popped out of the pages of the Cartoonist, joining the other monsters that he had already gathered. "Like my other monsters it cannot attack this turn. However, my first two toons can and will!"

A beam of white light shot from the toon dragon's mouth, while two beams of red energy shot from the hands of the elves. Zane sneered and snapped one arm out to his right, causing the trap that was there to reveal itself. "Shield of Blood! By sacrificing a Blood Puppet while being attacked directly I can negate that attack!"

Two of the Blood Puppets threw themselves in the way of the attack, detonating into a shower of blood that rained over the field. Pegasus frowned, having burned his hand in that turn, just like Ryu had. "Very well, I end my turn." (PLP: 3500)

"Why did your life points go down? I didn't do anything to damage you." The game creator sighed, looking very bored as he explained.

"As long as Toon World is in play, which it is with my Cartoonist in play, I can have my toons attack directly. But some of the stronger ones, like Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, require a five hundred life point cost to attack. That's what happened." Zane's eyes widened as he contemplated receiving a direct attack from each of those toons. He was lucky to have his trap card.

Zane drew, but despite the fact that he held only one card in his hand he seemed supremely confident. "Let's start this turn off like clockwork! Blood Spear!" Ryu groaned as once again he was covered in blood. (RLP: 1200)

He smirked, taking a brief glance down at his set card. "I'm going to turn this duel supremely in my favor by bringing down all of your paltry defenses. And I'll do it with one card alone. Reveal set card, Tribute of Blood!"

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Author's Notes: Okay, got this up. Next I'll do some updating on Rising Star.

_Next Time: The horrifying discover made by Ryu, Autumn, and Pegasus goes unnoticed on the other hand of the planet. Despite working together Kai and Takuya seem to be facing an unstoppable foe, and even if they win there are still secrets to be dealt with. But first thing's first…how do you defeat a foe that can't lose?_

_See it all in, Balancing Equation!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: As you can see it was more about Am-heh's blood than anything else.

WolfGeneral: You know, you were right. I had about nine hours of sleep, and I feel a lot better.

Darksoulkai: Yeah.

Black Death X: Did you take that description right out of some website? Because I've seen that exact description before.


	21. Balancing Equation

Author's Note: Prepare for heavy exposition at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter Twenty: Balancing Equation**

_Kedamono chuckled, the sound booming across the field. **"Your attempt to defeat me was impressive little one, but it only succeeds in fueling my inner rage, controlled only by the power of my mind. Were I to unleash it, I would destroy you in seconds with no thoughts on the matter, and that is my inner strength. My raw rage. End turn!"**_

_Takuya didn't appear frustrated by this, instead he appeared invigorated. "Your power rests on your rage, and it grants your monsters strength as well you as power. However, skill can defeat power!"_

_He held up his drawn card, revealing a magic card. It depicted lightning bolts striking almost randomly. "The magic card Lightning Vortex costs one discard from my hand." He held up a monster card, and then slid it into his cemetery slot._

_"After I've made the payment, Lightning Vortex wipes out every face-up monster on the opponent's field! Think of this as a weakened Raigeki, but still extremely effective. So effective that it just cleared your field!" Lightning streaked from one monster to the next, blowing them apart. _

_With the field opened, Takuya grabbed the remaining card in his hand and threw it down on the field. Immediately a knight in burning armor appeared, holding up a sword of fire. "Pyro Knight(1800/1300) isn't quite strong enough to beat you. However…"_

_He paused for dramatic effect, and then thrust out one fist like he was punching an opponent. "Pyro Knight, do your stuff! Direct attack with Pyro Blade!" _

_The knight rushed forwards, slamming its burning blade down on Kedamono's exposed flesh. Takuya wasn't surprised at all when the monster's flesh repelled the attack completely, leaving it as having done no real damage. "You're as tough as you look Kedamono, but that doesn't always transfer over to a duel." (KeLP: 100)_

_**"Perhaps not. However, you should know just as much as anyone else that sometimes it does. You failed to complete a killing blow, and perhaps that will come back to strike you later." **He laughed, the sound once again shaking the ground. He obviously didn't seem worried by his lack of life points and field._

_"Maybe you've forgotten that I have a partner? He'll take his turn once Pyro Knight's effect kicks in. All damage it has dealt is transferred to my life points, so here it comes!" Flames whipped around him, but instead of doing damage they increased his life points. (TLP: 5800)_

_He smiled as the flames died out, leaving him back to normal. "That's all from me. Now Kai, finish him off!"_

_Kai nodded and slipped a card off his deck. He threw it down immediately and another Breaker monster formed. "Attack Breaker(1600 + 300/1000) come on out!" _

_Off on the side-lines, Eramoros smirked slightly. 'Now they'll learn exactly what separates Kedamono from normal opponents. Not a single opponent before has ever discovered the secret to beating him, and it's likely they won't either.'_

_"Attack Breaker, attack Kedamono directly for game!" The breaker charged forwards, stabbing its sword at Kedamono. Just like Pyro Knight, the attack did no physical damage, and the sword didn't' even break the skin of Kedamono's stomach._

_"Now that we've won, let us pass on to the chambers below." Kai began to walk forwards, but was stopped by Kedamono's booming laughter. He jerked to a halt and looked up at the behemoth of a duelist, whose hyena-like face was twisted up in a strange fashion that Kai couldn't place._

_**"Perhaps you failed to understand when I said that my rage supplied me with power. For as long as my rage exists within me I cannot be defeated. It is as if a raw presence of my power presents itself in this duel, just as it would in a normal battle." **He raised his duel disk, indicating what he meant. (KeLP: -1800)_

_Kai and Takuya stared in shock, unable to comprehend how it was possible. Kedamono merely laughed again, the ground quaking with his laughter. **"Perhaps now you see. This is no duel, just as no battle with me is ever as simple as it seems. This is a fight for survival against an opponent that you cannot possibly defeat! I was placed here because it is impossible to defeat me in combat, making it impossible for anyone to gain entrance!"**_

_Eramoros continued to smile, watching the horrified expressions on the two duelist's faces. 'Now they see it. Kedamono cannot be defeated in battle, it is merely that simple. Can they learn the secret to defeating an opponent that one can't fight? It will be fun to find out…'_

Kai's left eye was twitching as he considered the potential of Kedamono's special Duel Presence, which would keep him in the game so long as his rage existed. _'Okay, so he can't lose as long as he's angry? Well, he doesn't seem that angry, so how do we stop him?'_

With no answers obviously presenting themselves he saw no options for the time being. "Okay, I set this card face down and end my turn."

Kedamono's massive hand reached for his duel disk and then slid a card off of it. His hyena like face twisted into a wicked grin as he slammed the card home. **"Rage Explosion! This magic card activates when I have no monsters in play and deals one opposing player three thousand damage!"**

He pointed his meaty fist over at Kai, who grimaced as he realized he wouldn't survive the blast. **"I have selected you little one. Rage Explosion!"**

Takuya snapped a hand out and a face down card flipped up. "I won't let my partner die like that! Reverse card open, Focus Self! This shifts one effect to an appropriate target. Since you aren't one I'll take the damage myself!"

Kai reached out a hand towards Takuya, horrified that the other man was going to do this. "Takuya! Wait a second!"

His words didn't stop it, and the ground all around Takuya exploded, hiding him from view. Behind them Eramoros' lips quirked up into a smile, eager to see what had happened. "Takuya…damn…"

The dust drifted to the ground, leaving Takuya in plain view, just barely standing. His gi had been ripped up, and small patches of blood were leaking through, his body ravaged by the blast. "Heh…I survived right?" (TLP: 2800)

**"Indeed you did little one, but in the end it makes no difference. Turn end!" **All eyes were now on Takuya once again, because it was now his turn. And even Kedamono was eager to know if Takuya had any way to overcome his ability, since none had ever done so before.

The warrior duelist struggled to reach his hand to his duel disk, his injuries making it more difficult. However, he focused his will onto that task, and pulled the card free without any further resistance. "Even though I can't see the way to win yet, I'll still try. Pyro Knight, direct attack!"

The knight sent a spiral of flame at Kedamono. Though it was a direct attack, it didn't even phase the giant, nor did it do anything worth mentioning to his life points. However, some of Takuya's wounds began to close. "Thanks to his effect I gain eighteen hundred life points." (TLP: 4600, KeLP: -3600)

Finally Takuya slid his drawn card into his duel disk and glanced over at Kai, meaning his turn was done. Kai returned the look and drew, hoping to find an answer to their problem. _'Alright, let's think about this. Surely there's a limit to his ability, so if we hit him with enough damage, it'll overload.'_

"Magic card, Coins From Heaven! Each player draws until they hold six cards!" All three of them drew a full six cards at once, whipping through them to get the full draw. As soon as they had all drawn their new hands, Kai pointed to his face down card.

"Reverse card open, Null and Void! All of your cards drawn out of the draw phase are now discarded to the cemetery!" Kedamono chuckled as he folded up his hand of six cards and slid them into the cemetery slot of his oversized duel disk.

"Breaker Blader(1900/1000) is summoned! Now, together with his brother I'll give you a double direct attack!" The two breakers jumped straight up at Kedamono's chest and stabbed him in the gut, but Kedamono merely batted them aside with one huge hand. (KeLP: -7100)

"We'll find your attack damage limit, so one more attack for my turn! Breaker Blader sacrifices its counter and its three hundred attack point boost for an additional attack!" Despite having been smacked aside the magic using warrior flipped over, and then sprang off the ground, swinging its blade across Kedamono's leg. (KeLP: -8700)

Finally Kai plucked two cards out of his new hand and slid them into his duel disk, giving the beast a steady glare. "I end my turn Kedamono. But know this: we will discover the secret to defeating you no matter how long it takes."

Kedamono chuckled even as he top decked. **"I have no doubt you would little one, but my rage is not so simply quenched by overloading me with damage. Of course…you must survive to uncover the secret that none before, or even I, have uncovered. Rage Rebirth revives a rage monster from the grave with double attack."**

The ground in front of him trembled, and then it shattered apart as the huge form of his demonic monster emerged, its nasty teeth gnashing as it prepared to attack. **"Rage Demon(8000/0) is reborn and now…attack Pyro Knight!"**

One gnarled claw sped towards the burning knight, but something jumped in the way, and after a loud clang the claw was stopped in place. Takuya, Eramoros, and Kedamono blinked in surprise at seeing one of Kai's breakers standing in the way, shield held up. "Attack Breaker can sacrifice its own counter to negate an attack, so you were denied."

Kai gave his partner a respectful nod, and all eyes turned to him. Takuya took in a deep breath, relaxing himself, and then drew. Instantly he saw his available combo. "Alright, let's see just how high your damage tolerance really is! Knight's Final Strike, activate!"

Pyro Knight's flames burst even brighter, extending outwards as it gave a deafening battle cry and rocketed forwards towards Rage Demon. "Knight's Final Strike effect number one. One knight on my field immediately attacks the opponent's strongest monster!"

The now comet-like knight struck the demon in the belly, forcing it backwards. But the demon was reaching its claws in, grabbing pointlessly at the flames. Kedamono cocked a furry eyebrow at Takuya, curious now. **"Why sacrifice your monster and your life points like that?"**

"Life points? Why would I be sacrificing my life points when I've got this quick-play magic card, Shield of the Knight! During this turn I take no life point damage when a monster with 'knight' in its title battles!" Kedamono focused his attention back on the struggling burning knight and his demon, and saw to his surprise that the flames were spreading all over his demon's body.

Takuya's eyes hardened and he closed his open palm as if crushing something within it. "Knight's Final Strike effect number two, the battling monsters are both destroyed after damage calculation!"

Rage Demon exploded as a giant fireball, knocking the nearby Kedamono back, even his brutal power unable to stop him from stumbling. "Knight's Final Strike effect number three, the opponent takes their destroyed monster's attack as damage!"

The fireball that had been streaking towards the sky came shrieking down and detonated directly on top of Kedamono, forcing the two other duelists and the watching Eramoros to shield their eyes from the bright flare. "How's that for damage?" (KeLP: -16700)

**"Very impressive, but it won't harm me, and all it does is feed my rage further! Come, continue to attack so my rage might engulf both of you!" **The smoke faded away, and the beastly Kedamono tromped out of the crater created by the explosion. To their horror he looked completely unharmed.

Back against the jeep Eramoros was shaking his red-haired head, sighing in disappointment. _'It looks like these two just don't have what it takes to discover the secret to beating Kedamono. Of course, since even he doesn't know it that's hardly surprising.'_

"I summon Anti-Riot Knight(100/2400) in defense mode and place one card face down behind it. That's the end of my turn." A bulky knight holding a huge shield formed in front of Takuya, its shield bigger in size than even Big Shield Guardna's shield.

Kai drew slowly, trying to figure it out. So far they had dealt him enough damage to defeat a normal duelist over five times, but it hadn't even scratched Kedamono. In fact, the monster wasn't even slowed down. _'Until we figure this out attacking is pointless, so defense right now is my best option.'_

"I summon Effect Breaker(1900/1000) in defense mode, and switch my other two monsters back into defense as well." A third fancy armored blue skinned magic warrior emerged in a crouched position, just as his two brethren also dropped to their knees. All of them hefted their shields up, mimicking Anti-Riot Knight.

"Next I play Poison of the Old Man, increasing my life points by a total of twelve hundred. That's the last of my move." A feeble looking old man stood next to him, and then tossed a glowing green bottle at his feet. The fumes reached him, and he felt some of his weakness fade away. (KLP: 3000)

Kedamono drew, and then held up the card. **"Pot of Greed to draw two cards." **He slid the two cards off his deck, a deep rumbling laugh filling him as he saw the cards.

**"I set one card face down, and now I play Treasure of Slashing Life to draw a total of five cards." **The monster drew five brand new cards, completely restoring his hand which he had steadily depleted over the course of the duel. And now that he wasn't top decking it wasn't good for them.

Their opponent clicked his sausage-like fingers together, and his face down card flipped up, just as he was sliding a card into his duel disk. **"I play two identical magic cards, both of them are Rage Cannons. When activated and I have zero monsters in play, the opponent takes two thousand damage, so that's one for each!" **

Eramoros' lips curled up into an amused smile as massive blasts of energy struck the two duelists, blasting them off their feet. Several seconds later, their bodies bruised, the two duelists struggled back up to their feet. _'He's so powerful it's wonderful to watch.'_ (TLP: 2600, KLP: 1000)

**"Now I summon my personal favorite monster, a level four with an effect that is like nothing you've ever seen. Rage Behemoth(10000/0) is summoned!" **Kai and Takuya craned their necks back to view the newly summoned monster, which had to be standing at least a hundred feet in the air. It was at least as tall as Obelisk the Tormentor, and as bulky as well.

Physically they couldn't even tell what it looked like, since its body took up so much space that they couldn't get a good view of it. **"This monster lacks the ability to attack because of its brutal power as a level four. Of course in compensation once per turn I can destroy all other monsters in play and deal three hundred damage for each to their controllers. Watch it…RAGE CRUSH!"**

One tremendous foot lifted up about twenty feet, and then came crashing down. The ground cracked apart, and ripples went through the dirt until they hit Takuya, Kai, and their monsters, blasting them to oblivion. **"Against such power you cannot stand." **(TLP: 2300, KLP: 100)

Kedamono's rumbling laughter slowed to a halt as both duelists struggled back to their feet, looking bruised and beaten, their heads bloodied from being battered into the ground. However, they were still standing, and Takuya gave Kedamono a calm stare. "Cannot stand? Care to guess again?"

**"So impressive, I enjoy the power both of you present, but there is no way to defeat me. Never in all the thousands of years in which I have guarded this place have I ever been defeated thanks to my Duel Presence. End turn!" **A single tiny looking card formed behind Rage Behemoth, not noticed by the monster, and then the turn was ended.

Takuya drew, looking at his hand of cards very carefully. He then turned his eyes up to the huge form of Rage Behemoth, and knew what was his best path. "I summon Shade Knight(900/1700) in defense and set one card face down."

A knight formed of shadows now was on his field, crouched with its dark shield held out in front of it. With its appearance, Takuya seemed to take heart, for a reason Kai couldn't figure out. "Okay Kai, your turn. Just follow my lead, okay?"

The younger duelist drew, his vision briefly obscured when a gust of wind now blew his black hair in front of his eyes. A glance behind him told him why, the tie that kept his hair in check had been torn off during the last blast, letting his hair free. "I can do that. Shield Breaker(600/2300) in defense mode."

A brown armored breaker with a heavy shield squatted in front of him, prepared to take any incoming attack. "Then I'll set a card face down and end my turn, just like Takuya did."

Their opponent drew his next card so forcefully that both of them literally felt the air being displaced by the draw. He held up the large card, looking at it very carefully with his big beady eyes. **"Rage Behemoth activates its ability, Rage Crush!"**

Just like before the heavy foot came crashing down, blasting apart both of their monsters. Eramoros leaned in, hoping to see Kai take a true fall as his life points were reduced to zero. But as the wave of earth swept towards him, one of Kai's three set cards flipped up. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice both of my face down Repayment of Losses to gain two thousand life points and draw two cards!"

The shaking ground threw both duelists backwards, but this time Takuya was ready, going into a neat half-turn that let him land on his feet, unharmed. Kai wasn't so lucky, and he slid across the ground on his back. _'Oh well, I'm sure one of them will fall shortly.'_ (TLP: 2000, KLP: 1800)

Kedamono held up two cards, and Rage Behemoth vanished before their very eyes. **"I play Dimension Hole, removing Rage Behemoth from play until the end of the turn. Then I can activate Rage Bullet, which deals 1500 damage to the opponent if I have zero monsters in play. Take this little Takuya!" **

A sound like a miniature explosion field the air, and Takuya fell to his knees, his duel disk clad arm clutching his stomach which was now pumping blood onto the ground. Kai started to rush towards him, but Takuya raised his other hand to stop him. "Don't…just keep up the duel, it'll be my turn in a moment." (TLP: 500)

"Takuya, don't go sacrificing your life just for this! We can win without that kind of stupid sacrifice!" Takuya's eyes went hazy, and then to Kai's surprise the warrior duelist smirked, pushed himself back to his feet, and then drew.

"Kedamono, what you've done to me and my own partner's words have revealed the truth to me. I'd like to test my theory, and show you my full scale of abilities and power right now! Divine Element Knight(1500/1200) in attack mode!" An explosion of energy from in front of him faded quickly, taking form as a new knight.

This knight had glimmering armor, but his sword was of a dull luster, as was his shield. "This monster is one of the tactics in my deck to unleash the combined powers of those knights who wield the six elements. Earth, wind, water, fire, light, and dark….which together are unstoppable!"

Six different beams of energy shot out of his graveyard, striking the Divine Element Knight. To Kai's surprise instead of it being harmed, it seemed to grow larger, and its sword and shield grew brighter. "For each different type of element that is represented in my grave this monster gains a special effect. For instance, thanks to Pyro Knight's fire type he gains a thousand attack points!"

The level four knight's sword burned even brighter as its attack rose to a much more impressive twenty-five hundred. "The presence of Anti-Riot Knight and Knight of the Forest, both earth attribute, give Divine Element Knight immunity to targeted traps!"

Kedamono glanced briefly at his face down card, but still didn't seem worried. "Aqua Knight's water attribute gives Divine Element Knight the power to attack twice in one turn!"

As he continued to speak the Divine Element Knight's sword grew brighter and brighter. "Shade Knight's darkness gives him the ability to negate the effects of monster's he destroys, while Silent Knight's light type makes him immune to targeted magic cards."

He clenched his free hand, the other still pressed against his bullet wound. "Last but not least, the Cyclone Knight(1500/1600) I discarded to Lightning Vortex gives my monster a trample effect. But of course, his power isn't complete without this…a divine weapon, Excalibur!"

Divine Element Knight's sword increased in length and grew even brighter as the equip card's effect kicked in. "At a cost of forfeiting my draw phase each turn to maintain it this equip card doubles my monster's attack. Now, it reaches a total of five thousand attack points!"

**"That's only half the power of my Rage Behemoth. Impressive attacks points though, I will admit that." **Kai watched his partner carefully, wondering exactly what the trained warrior was up to. Somehow Takuya really didn't' seem concerned about Rage Behemoth.

"You've got me all wrong Kedamono…that's not my plan at all. To complete my technique, the next step is to activate this magic card, Elemental Explosion! For each monster in my grave I deal you five hundred damage, minus one hundred for each light and dark type. That's seven times five hundred minus two hundred…do the math and that's thirty-three hundred damage!" Multi-colored energy shot out of his graveyard and smashed into Kedamono's face, but dissipated quickly when it didn't even harm him. (KeLP: -20,000)

Next Takuya held up another two of his three remaining cards, still looking completely focused. "Magic card activates, Pump Up doubles the attack of my monster for the duration of the turn!" Divine Element Knight's body grew, making it a dozen feet in height, but even at ten thousand attack it looked puny beneath Rage Behemoth.

Kedamono looked surprise when he saw what the second card in Takuya's hand was. **"A second Pump Up?"**

"That's right, this doubles his attack again, sending his attack power soaring all the way up to twenty thousand!" Energy shimmered off of the holy knight, its sword held ready for the eventual attack. Eramoros and Kedamono both looked impressed, while Kai just looked happy.

Kai looked up at Kedamono, finally feeling some real confidence return. "That's right Kedamono, he's coming for you. Do you think you can withstand thirty thousand damage barreled right down your throat?"

Takuya's knees nearly buckled because of his wound, but he forced himself to stay upright. "No…attacking would be useless. Instead, I'll play this magic card. Mystik Wok, which lets me sacrifice Divine Element Knight to gain its attack or defense as life points. I choose its attack points!"

Kedamono merely waited, unconcerned with whatever sort of combo Takuya was trying to make. Life points were of no concern to him, as he could deplete them steadily enough. Kai on the other hand thought differently. "Do you really need those twenty thousand life points?"

"I wouldn't sacrifice my knight for such a greedy purpose after all I've done for it. No…this isn't greed at all. Kedamono, this is a gift from me to you, in honor of the magnificent duel you've give us both. Open face down card, Spirit Mirror!" His trap appeared, and Kedamono's reflection was in it.

Kedamono's eyes bugged out as energy from the sacrificed knight shot out of the mirror and into his body, filling him with a brilliant sensation. It was absolutely amazing how wonderful it felt. **"This power…it is magnificent! Thank you for such a gift!" **(KeLP: 0)

Eramoros jerked completely to his feet with a start, his eyes going wide as he saw in his mind's eye the aura of raw red power that had been flickering around Kedamono suddenly change blue for just the slightest of moments. _'The secret of his power…uncovered! His rage is gone, even if only for a moment!'_

Kedamono and Kai both stared in shock as the cards on the field faded away, leaving the three of them standing around doing nothing. Kedamono looked down at his duel disk, and then laughed, the booming sound shaking the ground. **"Your gift was so noble I forgot my rage for the briefest of moments, and because my life points were zero in that moment, I lost the duel without my Duel Presence to aid me! You are truly an amazing duelist Takuya Shinomori, worthy of your family line. Congratulations…" **

With that final word Kedamono's massive form faded away, and the wide doors creaked open. Freed from the need to remain standing, Takuya collapsed, his blood pooling on the ground. Without a need to continue the duel Kai was free to rush over and quickly flipped the duelist over and began wrapping the wound up. "You really did it Takuya; you figured it out and beat him."

"Yeah…guess I did. Now come on, let's go and get that thing that Dalin wanted us to get. I'll be fine for the moment." Kai frowned, then placed Takuya's arm over his shoulder and hefted the older man up, supporting him like that.

"No way. You're going back to the hospital right now. I know how to get back to this place, and we've already beaten Kedamono, so there's no reason we have to go immediately. I'll take you into the city for a doctor, and then we'll return." With Takuya supported on his shoulder he trudged back to the jeep and popped open the door, letting Takuya lie down on the back seat.

Kai walked around the jeep, heading for the front seat, and then stopped when he realized what was out of place. "Where do you think you're going?"

His eyes bored into Eramoros' back, as the feral looking red-haired man had already walked half-way to the revealed door. "To plunder the very depths of the cave for all the useful and ancient mystic artifacts that lie within, particularly The Balance Matrix."

Kai narrowed his eyes, stalking back around the jeep so he was standing directly in front of Eramoros with nothing in between them. "What makes you think you can do that? And what's the Balance Matrix?"

Eramoros' bright blue eyes sparkled with amusment, his lips quirked up into a half-laugh. "You cam seeking it without knowing its name, how pathetic. The Balance Matrix is an ancient device with the capability of measuring the balance of good and evil in the world, of darkness and light. It is basically a timer for the apocalypse."

Having never fully trusted this man since meeting him, Kai felt certain something was being left out. "And what exactly aren't you telling me? What is it that you want the Balance Matrix for, and who are you really?"

"I am Eramoros, which is all you will need to know. As for the Balance Matrix, I want it for my collection. In fact, that's why I used you two to open the gate, to take into my hands all those items sealed away and deemed too dangerous for human hands. Don't worry, you wouldn't have survived in there anyways, as within that place evil beyond your reckoning lurks, for it is a place that darkness itself fears to tread." As Eramoros spoke Kai could feel something like a heartbeat from past that gateway, and he felt an intense sensation of terror throughout his entire being.

"You're not telling me something about the Balance Matrix in specific, I know it. Why would it be sealed away from humans hands in a place of evil if it's an instrument that acts as a time clock for the apocalypse. What does it really do?" Kai tried to focus on his anger in order to force down the brimming fear, but it wasn't doing a very good job. The fear was building, as if the evil was seeping out from those open doors.

"You're astute Kai Kaethen, I must admit. Every item placed within this place was sealed away for the express purpose of preventing them from falling into any human's hands, for inevitably they cause disaster to befall both those who hold them and those around the holder. All these items are infused with a pure evil beyond your comprehension, all because of who created them." Again a pulsing heartbeat came from within the tunnel, and Kai's knees nearly dropped out from under him.

"Who created them, and for what purpose?" Eramoros smirked, and then to Kai's complete surprise the red-haired man shrugged his shoulders and then shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit.

"I'd like to tell you, really I would just because you're learned enough to make good discussion about it. Unfortunately even I don't know when those items were created, let alone who created them. Their age seems to be indeterminable, as if they have existed for longer than even the concept of time came to human mind. And they are so infinitely complex that all the greatest mortal minds of millennia ago were driven crazy while trying to understand them." Kai frowned, not liking how this was sounding.

"It's got to be more than that they were forged by such evil hands that they cause trouble to befall those who have them, there has to be a bigger reason behind their being sealed up in such a way. Tell me the truth, what's the purpose of the Balance Matrix and all these other items?" Eramoros' smirked faded, and his face turned solemn all of a sudden.

"The true purpose of many of these items has never been known, and that's one thing I intend to discover. However, the ultimate purpose of the Balance Matrix is to keep track of the Balancing Equation, the theoretical determinate of what have long been referred to as the Three Points. The Points which are the three aspects of the Balancing Equation, the Three Points which determine the results of the end of the universe…" Kai covered his ears as a shrill howl issued forth from the tunnel, and this time he really did lose his footing.

He could barely understand anything anymore, as the howl filled his body with a fear like nothing he had ever experienced before. Something within that place was an evil beyond anything he had ever encountered. _'I feel like my head is going to explode!'_

"You know what the Three Points are called don't you Kai Kaethen? You've heard what they are called before; you've heard them spoken of time and time again! Perhaps with your mind added to my own consciousness I can be aided in truly understanding the nature of those items deep within this place of evil. Kai Kaethen, I'll devour your mind and add it to my collective!" The howl was drowned out as an explosion of darkness swept across the dusty ground, creating a dome of dark energy that placed them in an entirely different realm.

With the howl gone, Kai managed to find his footing, and forced himself back onto his feet. However, he already felt his strength leeching away from him because of the power of the Darkness Game. It was much stronger than the last one he had been in, or any other he had ever been in. "What have I heard…and what do you mean, your collective?" (KLP: 4000)

Eramoros snapped his fingers and a duel disk appeared on his arm, already loaded with a deck. He drew five cards, and slowly Kai mimicked him, unsure of what was going on. "You'll learn the answer to that when you become part of it, your mind and power will be an excellent addition. Then together we'll take Takuya and add him to the collective." (ELP: 4000)

"You didn't answer my question, what is it about the Three Points that I've heard before? What are the three points that are the three aspects of the Balancing Equation, the occasion the determines the results of the apocalypse? Tell me, and I'll duel you!" Eramoros paused, his robins egg eyes looking contemplative.

Finally after half a minute the business suited man smiled, the smile dark and sending shivers up Kai's spine. "You have heard them before, as I had said. Don't you know Kai Kaethen? They are 'What Was', 'What Is', and 'What Shall Be'."

Images flashed through Kai's mind of times talking to Dalin and to the others as they explained some of the Dark Spirit's rants, about how he had summoned his Exodia monster while declaring it was for those three things, in addition he had heard that the Dark Spirit had ranted a little about it in his final duel with Dalin. "You…you're the Dark Spirit?"

"No, of course not. I'm not even evil, although that term is really based on opinion rather than any form of fact. I am something much different than the Dark Spirit, but I admit that it was good deductive reasoning. But you understand then, what the Three Points are? They are the terms, like x, y, and z, that refer to some specific part of the equation with an unknown value. That's what the Balance Matrix can tell us, it can tell us what the values of What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be truly are!" A part of Kai was intrigued by the notion, his curiosity getting the better of him.

However, the other part was overwhelmed with the intense feeling that this was something that Eramoros should never know. That if this strange blue eyed man ever got his hands on the Balance Matrix, it would be dangerous for everyone. "No…as much as I want to know what the answer to the Balancing Equation is, I can't allow you to find out. So I'll stop you here before you can advance further!"

Eramoros sighed and shook his head, looking thoroughly disappointed. "That's truly a pity Kai that you aren't going to willingly accept becoming part of a greater consciousness and learning the hidden secrets of the universe. If that's the case then I'm going to do like I thought I would have to, and make you part of it through force using a Darkness Game beyond your experience, Darkness Game Level Eight!"

A wave of power extended from Eramoros' body, pressing Kai backwards. The budding historian gritted his teeth and pressed back against it, trying to fight the power. _'He's so powerful…and this is a Darkness Game stronger than what I've ever felt before. After that duel with Kedamono, can I handle this?'_

With a yell filled with his own strength Kai pushed past the wall of power, and it faded away, letting him stand unhindered. "You're powerful, but I've faced powerful foes before. I'll tell you now that I'm never the most powerful, but I win all the same. I have the skill and the knowledge to defeat any opponent, and I will defeat you. Even if it takes all of who I am, I won't allow you to move forwards from this point."

"Yes, I've realized that. But in the grand scheme of things your efforts are insignificant. As we speak the Balance Matrix is ticking away towards the apocalypse, and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. All that matter is the knowledge to be gained from it. Kai Kaethen, don't fear, because when you become part of the greater consciousness you will gain that knowledge as soon as I do. And one more thing." Eramoros drew, his lips tilting up into a deadly smirk.

"You're not in my league. Watch, as I show you the power of my very own Duel Presence. First I set four cards face down, and then I set a monster. Lastly…I activate Hand Obliteration!" A gust of wind struck Kai, blasting his five hand cards away, leaving him with nothing.

_'No…on the first turn and already he's forced me into top decking! But wait…what about this Duel Presence he mentioned? I just have to hope it's nothing on the same level as Kedamono's Duel Presence, or it's not likely I can survive this.'_ Kai's thoughts were interrupted as the air around him pressed inwards, squeezing his flesh and putting tremendous pressure on his bones.

"My Duel Presence activates whenever a card goes to the cemetery because of an effect. You take one hundred damage for each card, and I gain an equal amount. In other words, every card I lose and every card you lose will ultimately lead to your defeat!" The pressure loosened and Kai dropped to his hands and knees, sucking in air desperately. (KLP: 3500, ELP: 4500)

Unsteadily Kai stood, his hand shaking as it moved to the top of his deck. "Every villain we meet says something like that, but I want you to know before I draw, that I've been drastically outclassed in duels before…"

His mind drifted to his duel with D'harim the Death Knight, in which he had been mercilessly tortured by the evil being in order to teach him some perverse lesson about suffering. "Yet even when confronted by that kind of opponent, even when I know that I can't win, I have no path open to me but to go forwards. I've stopped trying to remain in one place in life, and I won't remain frozen in a duel because my opponent is stronger or better."

He paused, and then placed his fingertips on his first card. "I'm going to move onwards and defeat you, even though you may be my superior. But though I move on from the past, I've learned from my own mistakes in that past. And I won't fall victim the way I had before. This time, it will be different!"

Eramoros spread out his arms in an almost welcoming gesture, looking like he was going to sweep Kai into a hug. "Then come to me Kai Kaethen, and join this consciousness through battle! Within it you will learn the past, and you will see the future! Become part of me!"

"Not a chance. I am Kai Kaethen only…and I will never become part of you!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And there you go, an end to a duel, some explanation, and then the prep for another duel.

_Next Time: Kai is now facing an opponent with strange powers who desires to absorb him, all to keep this same man out of a place of evil. But what truly lurks in this place in which even darkness fears to tread. Perhaps Kai will learn, but someone else is going to find out first…_

_See it all in, Birthplace of Evil!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: Wasn't thinking of Princess Bride when I wrote the fight, but it may have been subconscious since I watched Princess Bride the night before.

Black Death X: Yep, pretty gruesome.

Darksoulkai: Don't worry about ch.19, your computer deserved the attention.

WolfGeneral: Creepy fun is always good. I'll admit that my Ryu could never beat yours, but it would be an interesting duel.


	22. Birthplace of Evil

Author's Note: Let's get back with some darkness, shall we?

**Chapter Twenty-One: Birthplace of Evil**

_Drake stopped as the stairs bottomed out. The ground he was standing on was covered by a thick, otherworldly mist. What he felt down here was evil in a way he nothing he had felt on the Earth was. This was truly a place where the darkness gathered, a place where evil flourished. 'A darkness that gives even me the chills.'_

_Shaking off that feeling, he advanced forwards, his hand holding a ball of black flame that strangely enough provided light for him. His footsteps echoed down the tunnel, the only sound that could be heard. At least until the voice came to him. "You disturb the dead. The dead have remained pacified. Come no further mortal, or death shall take you!"_

_"I am no mere mortal! I am the darkness itself, darkness incarnate! Bring on your dead you bodiless motherfucker, and I'll burn them all to ash!" The voice didn't reply, so all he could do was continue walking down the tunnel._

_Whispers in the darkness told him that somehow, he wasn't alone. His suspicions were confirmed when the tunnel ended in a massive cavern, and corpses of all shapes and sizes, and conditions as well, meandered around. 'I've wandered into Night of the Living Dead.'_

_The dead seemed to ignore him as he walked past them, their rotting bodies brushing up against him as he pushed in farther. The cavern seemed to grow thicker with them as he continued towards the center of the cavern. Eventually they grew so thick that he was shoving through a wall of decayed flesh before he was even half-way there. 'There are tens of thousands of them in this cavern alone!'_

_Briefly he considered burning them to ash like he had suggested to that strange voice, but knew that he risked striking the Concordance if he did so. He didn't know if it was protected by a barrier, or just these walking corpses. He didn't want to risk destroying the object that could make him a god. 'Damn it…it'll take forever to get there at this point!'_

_"Mortal, you approach too close to that which human hands should never touch. Advance no further or be consumed by the dead." Drake looked around for the origin of the voice, but just like before it seemed to come from everywhere, including in his hand._

_"Listen you intangible fuck! I already said I'm coming to get it, and no amount of rotting lumps of flesh can stop me! The Concordance of Legends will belong to me!" The bodiless voice laughed the sound chilling and terrifying, even to Drake. There was something about that laugh that embodied something…sinister._

_"So, they call it the Concordance of Legends now do they? Mortal, you know not what you seek. The dead protect it, and the hands of a human shall never touch it. If you wish to lay your hands upon that which humans should never touch, then you must become one of the dead. Is that your desire?" Drake shivered as the eyes of thousands of undead turned to look upon him, the large mass of bodies now facing him, surrounding him on all sides._

_"Go to Hell!" Again that sinister laugh echoed in his mind and throughout the cavern, and even the corpses seemed to laugh._

_"You are far more interesting than the last mortal to enter this place. You will make an excellent addition to my collection. Mortal, prepare yourself to join the dead. Your foolishness has caused this, for you have failed to see the truth." Drake tilted his head up to look at the cavern ceiling, hoping to catch a sing of something there._

_"Oh? And what exactly is it that I'm missing?" The thick fog that layered the ground coiled around his feet, and to his surprise it began to solidify, and his legs couldn't move._

_"Mortal…this is the place that births things even Hell itself fears. You walked through a convergence into the place with no name. This is the place where Evil was born into the world. Mortal, your death's crescendo will become a symphony in this place, to echo throughout time. Your suffering will be eternal. Prepare for the symphony of your demise!"_

_And as one the mass of dead creatures attacked him._

"You may already be dead, but I'll make you all wish you had never been born!" Drake's fist swung in a wide arc, crashing into the cheek of the first zombie. With his dark energy empowering the blow, the zombie's head was torn off its shoulders, and the body collapsed.

Unable to move his legs because of the restraints he was forced to jab backwards with his elbow, striking another zombie in the stomach, sending it spinning backwards with incredible force. Zombies were plowed out of the way by the flying body. "One or ten thousand, it doesn't matter when you're all weak as kittens!"

Their hands reached for him, surrounding him on all sides. He swung his fists as hard as he could, but no matter how many he slammed out of the way there were more to take their place. _'Damn this…there's too many of them to fight conventionally…I'm going to have risk the Concordance just so I can stay alive!'_

"Fine, I'll burn you all to ash!" His power roared out around him, an aura of black flame covering his body, incinerating the zombies that tried to touch him. It licked outwards, burning away more and more zombies, but still there seemed to be no end to them, and his energies could only last for so long.

_"Mortal, there is no way for you to survive and reach the Concordance. Yet even then, should you touch the Concordance you will become one of the dead. Where did you think all of these living dead came from?" _That sinister chuckle in his mind was enough to cause his power to flicker for a moment, and the zombies rushed back in.

"I'm not a human, I never was! I…AM…THE DARKNESS!" His energy exploded off of his body again, shredding the zombies and turning them into ruined masses of flesh. Yet still he held back for fear of risking the destruction of the Concordance, his ticket to godhood.

_"Fool. Destroy them all if you wish, but you cannot touch the Concordance. Your death is going to be glorious, and your suffering unending. Perhaps during the eternity of your pain and suffering you can come to understand your foolishness…" _Drake paused, and his aura of black flames flickered and died, letting the zombies advance on him.

Slowly a cocky smirk revealed itself on Drake's features, his russet-brown hair rising up from his scalp as his power flickered, barely contained within. "Zombies…nothing but pathetic zombies. Let's do this without the risk of damaging the Concordance….let's do it with the darkness!"

_"The darkness? You would actually challenge this army to a Darkness Game? This is…yes, I see. They will begin, starting one on one, just as you wish."_ Drake grinned as the mist dissolved around his legs, freeing him. Immediately he raised his left arm, duel disk clinking into place. (DLP: 4000)

The zombies formed a wide circle, and the first one approached, shambling up. It was missing one eye, and there was little sign of whether it had once been a man or a woman. Now it was just a corpse, a corpse with a sparking and nearly nonfunctional duel disk somehow on its arm. "D..draw." (ZLP: 4000)

Its single remaining eye looked over the four blackened cards that it was holding, and then unsteadily placed it onto the duel disk. A flickering image of a horizontally face down card appeared. "Monster…defense…end."

Drake snorted and flicked the top card off of his deck. "The slow talking, I can handle that. The crappy dueling? I guess I shouldn't have expected better from an undead thing. Two cards face down and end."

Once more the zombie drew in its slow fashion, its fingers looking like they would break off just from that minor strain. "Sacrifice…summon…Ryu Kokki(2400/2000)." The face down monster faded away, only to be replaced by a brutal looking monster which held a club in one hand.

Again Drake snorted, unimpressed by the powerful level six monster. "A Zombie Deck? Sheesh, like I couldn't have predicted. But anyways, the duel is over. Reverse card open…"

One of his two face down cards flipped up, and a burning dark circle spun out of it, latching onto the monster's neck. When the ring stopped spinning it was revealed to have what looked like explosives strapped to it, each explosive with the radioactive warning symbol. "Ring of Annihilation! This trap destroys one monster in play and deals double its attack as damage to each player!"

Ryu Kokki was torn apart by the explosion, evaporating into mist, just as the zombie was, being hit by a full forty-eight hundred damage. Drake seemed unconcerned as the wave of energy approached him. "Voice, you wanted me to eventually realize how foolish I was through suffering, right? Well…how's this for you? Open face down card, Revelation of Suffering!"

The blast swept over him, and the cave was still. Eventually the dust faded away, and Drake remained standing, his trench coat flaring out behind him from the remains of the gust created by the blast. "Whenever I deal effect damage to my opponent I gain that much damage as life points, so I absorbed forty-eight hundred life points just as I lost it, protecting me." (DLP: 4000)

His smugness faded as another zombie stepped forward, this one still decently covered by clothing. It too had a malfunctioning duel disk on its left arm, which was already activated, and it now held six cards in its hand. "They start when the next loses? Fine, I can deal with that."

The zombie selected one of the cards it was holding, and practically dropped it onto the duel disk. A flickering dark body now emerged in front of it, a true shape not even there. It was merely a shadowed form. "Summon…Fear from…the Dark(1700/1200). Attack."

Fear from the Dark covered the distance between the zombie and Drake in a matter of seconds, slamming bodily into him. He grunted, but didn't make any other reaction physically as his life points dropped. "Heh, even with a basically free turn you can't do much can you?" (DLP: 2300)

"End…turn." Drake drew, and immediately smirked at whatever card he had drawn. Had his opponent been anything other than a zombie it probably would have been nervous. Of course since it was a zombie, it just sat there staring at him.

"Since you're not much for reaction or speaking, I'll get no complaint about this. Activate trap card, Burning Hell Gamble!" He slammed the drawn card into his duel disk, and it appeared face down. Seconds later it flipped up, revealing a group of demons standing around a dice table.

"This trap card can be activated from my hand if I have no monsters on my field, and since that's the case it's easy. Now, for its effect I have to roll a die, and based on the outcome I get a certain effect. Let's just see what it is, shall we?" A blood red die popped out of the face-up trap card, bouncing and spinning across the stones beneath their feet.

The die stopped with four little dots facing upwards towards the ceiling. "Perfect. When a four is rolled I take the attack points of one monster on your field, add five hundred to it, and then deal it to your life points. Burn!"

All the zombies nearby were nearly tossed off their feet as the red die exploded. The zombie Drake was facing would have fallen onto its back if not for the sheer pressure of the bodies behind it. "Enjoy that freak?" (ZLP: 1800)

There was no reaction, so he moved along. "Since you took damage from an effect I now gain the same number of life points thanks to Revelation of Suffering. That's twenty-two hundred bonus points for me!" (DLP: 4500)

He smirked and selected two of the cards in his hand, then placed them into two of the open slots in his duel disk. Each of them appeared face down, one to each side of Revelation of Suffering. "I'll play those two cards down on the field, and then end."

Struggling, the zombie drew another card. Then it slowly lifted the drawn card open, showing a magic card that had a card with two swords piercing the stars on top. "Activate…Cost Down…discard card…reduce monster levels…two stars."

It slid the two cards into its grave very slowly, and then picked up Fear from the Dark off its deck in the same slow fashion. "Sacrifice for…Despair from…the Dark(2800/3000). Attack."

"You're so fucking slow, and so fucking dead meat! Open trap card, Death Cylinder! This trap card destroys the attacking monster and deals one thousand life points damage to you!" The massive shadowed form of Despair from the Dark shattered, and a blast of black energy blew a hole in the zombie's chest. (ZLP: 800)

"Revelation of Suffering, do your thing! Grant me an additional one thousand life points!" Energy flowed all around him, and was absorbed both into his body and into his duel disk. He licked his lips, looking satisfied as the life points put him past his starting point. (DLP: 5500)

When the zombie did nothing else, Drake realized that it was officially his turn. He sighed and drew once, giving him three cards in hand. "Not even a single set card? Of course traps against me is rather pointless. Oh…look at this, no more zombie here. Death Meteor!"

An orb shot down from above, wreathed in black flame, and struck the zombie, blowing it apart. Even as its life points were trailing off another zombie stepped up, its hand up to five cards and its life points reset. "Never ending, aren't you? Still, more life points for me, and more available carnage." (Z1LP: 0, Z2LP: 4000, DLP: 6500)

"Oh wait, I know what to do! Quick-play card activate, Instant Replay! I'll use its effect to use my last played effect, in other words here's a taste of that thousand damage for you!" Drake laughed as the meteor incinerated half of the newest zombie's head, yet it still remained standing. (ZLP: 3000, DLP: 7500)

"Go ahead zombie, I'm done for the moment." The zombie didn't respond in words, but rather in actions. Immediately it began the slow and annoying process of drawing a new card to start off with.

It took the newly drawn card and slid it slowly into the cemetery. "Discard…Swift Zombie(0/0)…effect to…special summon undead monster…from deck. Special summon…Vampire Lord(2000/1500)."

An elegant looking man with pale skin and bat wings now stood in front of the zombie. And it was eying Drake's neck with a hungry look. "Don't get anxious, you won't get even close to tasting my blood."

"Remove Vampire Lord…from game….special summon Vampire…Genesis(3000/21000)." A huge purple skinned monster took the place of Vampire Lord, its arms connected by hideous bat-like wings to its body. It too looked exceedingly hungry.

"Vampire Genesis…effect activate. Discard zombie…" It held up an Invader of Darkness. "Special summon…zombie from grave….less level than…discard zombie. Special summon….Ryu Kokki(2400/2000)." The hideous beast from before appeared, hefting its club and looking eager to go on the attack.

"Vampire Genesis…direct attack." Drake sighed and snapped his fingers, immediately causing the one remaining set card he had to reveal itself. It showed a man pushing a cart stacked high with bodies, while all around him people were dying.

"When I am attacked directly I can trigger this trap card: The Black Death! Its effect now takes the attack of one opponent's monster and deals it as damage to that player's life points. So I'll deal the three thousand points of Genesis to your life points, finishing you off!" The zombie crumbled to dust, a victim of the power of Drake's trap. (ZLP: 0)

Another zombie started to step forward, only to have parts of its remaining skin crumble under pressure. "Since you stepped up, The Black Death deals you Ryu Kokki's attack points as damage. So feel it!" (ZLP: 1600)

He snapped his fingers, and energy rushed from his continuous trap card into his duel disk. "Once again the effect of Revelation of Suffering activates! And that means I gain a grand total of fifty-four hundred life points!" (DLP: 12900)

The newest zombie shuddered as it placed a card down onto its duel disk. The two already face up zombies shattered, and what took their place was beyond hideous. It looked like a science experiment gone wrong, with its left side a red armored body, and the right side covered partially by white fur. "Sacrifice for…Maju Garzett(/0). Attack points equal….tributed monsters."

The monster shrieked, a terrible sound to any normal person. Drake just sighed and waited for the turn to continue, even as Maju Garzett's attack points showed as fifty-four hundred. "Magic card…Undead Wrath…discard zombies…increase zombie by….one thousand…attack."

It took the four remaining cards in its hand and dumped them all into the graveyard. Immediately the composite beast shrieked again as its attack points went soaring, straight up to ninety-four hundred. "Impressive. Of course, that was the second main phase, so you're finished I take it."

The zombie said nothing of course, so Drake drew, looking interested in the card he had drawn. "Perfect, it looks like I'm going to kill you. Magic card activate, Dark Trap Power! This lets me activate the effect of one trap in my cemetery and I choose…Ring of Annihilation!"

The nuclear powered ring of destruction snapped around Maju Garzett's neck, and started spinning. Seconds later it exploded, the detonation even more massive than the first time. Drake burst out laughing as he held up his final card. "Forked Power lets me take an effect that normally works on a single target, and spread it to a maximum of five. This allows me to hit four extra zombies who aren't playing!"

The five nearest zombies, including the one he had currently been dueling, all exploded under the power. At the same time the energy that was going towards Drake was being pulled directly into his duel disk. "Such wonderful damage…and such wonderful life points!" (DLP: 88,100)

"This is way too damned slow. Come on, five at a time! Bring on the best you've got!" He folded his arms across his chest, managing to look irritated and bored at the same time. The voice that he had been hearing laughed, and five zombies stepped forwards, their duel disks activating.

The first one placed a card onto its duel disk, and a rotting zombie appeared in front of it. "Wandering Mummy(1500/1000), attack." Drake didn't even budge as the zombie bit his arm, blood dribbling down. As it shambled away, the wound healed up. (DLP: 86600, Z1LP: 4000)

Its turn appeared to be over since the next zombie was already drawing and placing a card down. Wandering Mummy vanished, only to be replaced by a monster similar to Maju Garzett. Only this one looked more complete, with armor plating over its body, and white fur extending out from beneath it. "Sacrifice for…Great Maju Garzett…attack double…tributed monster's."

Drake shrugged, still looking bored. "Great Maju Garzett(3000/0)…attack." It reared back one arm, and slashed it at Drake. The dark duelist let the claws rake across his chest, drawing four lines of blood as it rented his shirt. (DLP: 83600, Z2LP: 4000)

Seconds later the third zombie was drawing, and it held up a magic card. "Magic card…Undead Horde. Discard cards…special summon…Undead Soul tokens(500/500)."

It folded up its hand and slid all five of the cards into the graveyard. A full set of five disfigured corpses now stood on its field. "All…direct attack." They lumbered over to Drake, biting onto his arms and into his shoulders, causing him to shake briefly as the blood flowed down his clothing. (DLP: 81100, Z3LP: 4000)

Number four drew, holding up a magic card just as the past one had. "Book of Life…special summon…Vampire Genesis(3000/2100). Discard Dark Master…Zorc. Special summon…Vampire Lord(2000/1500). Normal summon…Pyramid Turtle(1200/1400). Triple direct attack."

The three monsters all struck him, one being a turtle with a shell like a pyramid which just rammed him. The other two monsters, the vampires, sent waves of bats to strike him. Despite the continuous damage to his life points and his body he still looked cocky. "Hurry it up, I'm getting bored here." (DLP: 74900, Z4LP: 4000)

"Vampire Lord effect…discard magic card…from deck." Drake yawned, then held up a Death Meteor and slipped it into its graveyard. As soon as he had done that the fifth and final of these zombie opponents stood and drew.

"Play Zombie Generation…discard zombies…to special summon zombies…from hand. Discard Vampire Bats(800/800)…and Double Coston(1700/1650)…special summon two…Ryu Kokki(2400/2000 X2)." Two of the identical brutes appeared, and immediately they charged at Drake and slammed their clubs into him. (DLP: 70100, Z5LP: 4000)

Drake watched the last zombie for a moment until he was sure that it was done. When he was, he snapped a card, looking positively evil as he held it up. "The time for crushing you scum has come. I gave you five free turns of attacks and you barely dented me, so now it's my turn. Pot of Greed!"

He drew once, and then once he had seen what it was he drew again. "Second card in this turn…Collapse of Humanity! All monsters in play are destroyed, and their controllers take five hundred damage for each!"

The eleven monsters were ripped apart, clearing the field up completely. All of the zombies were hit by debris except for the first one, which had given its monster to the second zombie for tribute. "Take your damage like leftovers of men!" (Z1LP: 4000, Z2LP: 3500, Z3LP: 1500, Z4LP: 2500, Z5LP: 3000)

"Revelation of Suffering, let's undo some of that damage they had done, right?" He took in a whiff of the air, looking pleased at what he smelled. Of course what he smelled was the smell of burning flesh, but he was hardly a normal person. (DLP: 75600)

Smirking he held up the second card he had drawn from Pot of Greed. "Body Count activates! For every monster of the opponent's that I've destroyed or removed from the game during this duel I get to draw one card, to a maximum of ten. So, draw time!"

He counted down the cards, then pulled all ten free from his deck in one grab. "Death Meteor, target the first zombie!" The black fireball burned through the left forearm of the first zombie, dropping its remaining arm and duel disk to the ground. (Z1LP: 3000, DLP: 76600)

Smirking he flicked another card around. "Reclamation lets me pick up a single card from my cemetery and add it to my hand. I choose Forked Power. And now…I'll end all five of you in one shot. Armageddon Meteor and Forked Power combo together for five thousand damage to each of you!"

All five zombies were burned to ashes as the huge meteor swept through where they had been standing. Nothing was left when it faded away, meaning it was time for more zombies to step up, and five did to replace the five that were lost. "Yes…yes the life points are wonderful!" (DLP: 101600)

_"This is an impossible task that you face, don't you understand that? Even if you take them down five at a time, or ten at a time, it is an impossible duel. There are a total of sixteen thousand one hundred and seventy-three living dead remaining in this room. No duelist could defeat them all." _Drake paused, and looked up at the ceiling, even though the voice didn't originate there.

"Is that so? No duelist can do it? Is that like how no human being can touch the Concordance without becoming one of the living dead? Well then…I'll prove you wrong about this one, and then about the second. So…I'll duel all of them at once!" This time it was the voice's turn to consider this declaration.

Finally the sound of tens of thousands of duel disks activated reached his ears, and he smirked. "And so it begins, some sixteen thousand pathetic zombies against me. This will be the first test on my way to godhood, an impossible task for a mortal man…but easy for me!"

He looked down at his hand, and then a dark grin appeared on his face. "It's over…just wait. Magic card, Birth Into Suffering! This special summons a monster from the opponent's grave to their field, which lacks the ability to attack. They take half its attack as damage so…Vampire Lord(2000/1500) returns!"

The first of the zombies, the one nearest to him, suddenly had the regal looking Vampire Lord on its field. But the lord turned around and sank its fangs into the zombie's flesh. Seconds later it jerked away, not finding any blood in the undead monster. "Not much damage of course, but I've got a guaranteed victory with it." (Z1LP: 3000, DLP: 102600)

"One card face down. This is it you monsters, your end is about to come. I'd like to say something witty like 'I'll see you in hell' but since I won't be dying, that won't be happening." He smirked, even as the first zombie drew its very first card. After it would come a series of over sixteen thousand other zombies, all of which would be after his life points.

Immediately Drake's set card flipped up, and the field began to shake. "Trap of Darkness activates! This lets me pay one thousand life points to activate a trap card in my cemetery. And the trap I'm activating…is Ring of Annihilation!" (DLP: 101600)

The deadly trap fell across Vampire Lord's neck, and the regal undead monster struggled to free itself. None of the zombies reacted, their emotions long since stripped away. "Like I said, this is the end. Ta ta!"

A string of explosions spread throughout the room, jumping from zombie to zombie as the effect of Ring of Annihilation dealt four thousand damage to each and every one of them. And for every explosion Drake gained more life points. (ZLP1-16173: 0)

The smoke faded away, leaving Drake as the only person standing in the entire room, all the zombies gone. There, about sixty feet away from him, in the center of the cavern, was a small black book on a pedestal. "And so victory is mine." (DLP: 64,789,600)

His duel disk shut down, and then he threw back his head, laughing as loud as he could. His laughter echoed across the entire cavern, and it lasted for a good five minutes before his mirth finally subsided. "That was definitely an ego stroker right there."

Still smirking he sauntered up to the little black book and gingerly reached his hand out for it. To his surprise he encountered no barrier of any kind. "So the people who placed this down here thought the seals and the undead would be enough to stop someone from claiming it? Heh, pathetic."

He let his hand come to rest on the cover, drawing his fingers across the surface. It didn't feel like anything he had ever touched before, it wasn't leather, or anything like it. The material that made up the book was not natural, just like the book. "I want to claim it…its calling to me."

Indeed, in his mind he could hear a faint sound like a hellish choir singing to him. The sound was most definitely coming from the book, and finally he grabbed it by the spine and lifted it away from the pedestal. "It feels right in my grip, as if it was always meant to be here."

_"Yes, you were never born. The book was made in a time outside of time, created for that which is human, but never born of human flesh. That which is sundered free from a champion of man to become the destroyer of man. This book, truly named The Revelations of Suffering, is a book created just for you."_ Drake found himself somehow unsurprised, instinctively knowing it to be true.

"So the book was made just for me. But, what secrets does it contain? Can it really bring a person to ascend to godhood, or is it something else? Hey…you knew the whole time that it was made for me?" The voice laughed in his head, and he felt the irresistible need to punch it, but of course there was nothing to punch.

_"I exist beyond time, beneath time, above time. Call it what you will, your mortal mind cannot comprehend the manner in which I exist. But I have seen your coming time and time again, yet only once at the same time. It is for this point in time that I exist, for I will impart to you the knowledge that you need. This is your beginning, this is your end." _Drake's lips quirked as he looked down at the book in his hands. He wasn't sure how to take this information.

"What knowledge? What am I supposed to learn from this? And answer the question…can I become a god, or was this whole thing for nothing?" He felt his hands itching, and the singing of the book become louder in his ears, more insistent. It was insisting that he open it…

_"It contains all the knowledge of who you were, who you are, and what you shall become. It is your truth, it your I. It is everything that you were, are, and will be. Open it, and know the truth. Open it, and be born." _Drake cracked the knuckles on his right hand, ready to do what the voice said and open it. It felt right, he knew that he should open it.

The moment his fingers pulled back that top cover, a terrible howl slashed through the air, echoing through the cavern and up through the three separate tunnels that headed out of it. It was a sound that would have caused a normal person to suffer intense psychological pain, but to him…it was beautiful. "It screams for me…it yearns for me. It calls out for me to turn its pages, to revel in its truths. I was created for this moment…now, I'll be born."

As he began to read, the voice sounded in his head. _"Yes. This is your birth from this confines of normal existence. This is your death. This is where all you know ends, and where everything else begins. This is the defining moment in your existence, and the lives of countless others."_

He felt himself enraptured by what he was reading, his eyes flicking from word to word. Each word seared into his eyes, imprinted upon his brain as he read on. "Yes…this is right. This is me…this is what has been missing from my life. I am going to know the truth…and then I'll bring it to everyone else…I will reap such glorious carnage throughout the land!"

The flame within him that was his soul flickered, its form changing as he read. It was growing darker, and growing out of control. _"This is the Birthplace of Evil. This is the place of your birth. Where all evil begins, where true evil begins, where the last evil begins. This is your birth, and the death of everything else."_

Drake's eyes darkened and he stopped on a single sentence. He felt compelled to read it out loud, and so he did. "The Apocalypse walks in my footsteps."

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Author's Notes: We've reached the end of roughly the first third of this story, and now we know a little bit more, don't we?

_Next Time: Although the darkness in Drake's heart has been born for a purpose, Drake himself finds himself without purpose, without passion, without true life. Though he drifts onwards like a ghost, the world drifts towards danger, and he must be awakened._

_See it all in, Sorrow's Ghost!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: Yeah, I created the Balance Matrix before I ever created this story, so it definitely has its explanation. As for your questions, they shall all be answered in due time.

WolfGeneral: Brutal killing, there's nothing it can't cure…or something like that. As for the Balance Matrix…yeah, there's some complex stuff ahead.

Black Death X: Yep, when I first designed this storyline I created the finale's outline before I did the rest. This story is what I've been building up to the whole time.

G.O.T. Nick: Mmm….freaky eyes. Like those purple M&Ms. Unnatural.


	23. Sorrow's Ghost

Author's Note: Back to the original Drake.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Sorrow's Ghost**

_Drake stopped in the alley, staring at it as if he had been here before. It took him several seconds to realize that he had in fact been here before. 'This is where I was first rescued by Yumi and the rest of the gang. Had it been anyone else…maybe I wouldn't be here today.'_

_Slowly his gaze drifted to the DD2 that was strapped to his arm, and most importantly to the empty deck slot. He had gotten this duel disk when Battle City was announced, and he had never bothered to upgrade. He had a DD3 in storage, and could technically get any model he wanted as a Kaiba Corp. employee, but he hadn't wanted to. He liked the DD2…but now it was a moot point. "I can't duel again but…that's not the answer I need is it?"_

_Pressing a button at the base of the disk, he loosened it and slipped it off his arm. Taking in a deep breath he knelt and placed it down on the ground in front of him. Here in this place where his blood had been long since absorbed into the pavement was the perfect place._

_"That man, he gave me an answer without realizing. It's not that I can't duel ever again…no, it's a choice I have to make. And my choice…" He paused, still looking at his DD2. This was an important moment for him._

_"I will never duel again, because that is my choice."_

"Never again? No, you must duel again. And you will."

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"Well, what have we got here? Somebody wandering around the city in the dark of night? Don't you know this is a bad part of town?" A chorus of amused laughter rang through the darkness, the shadows moving with human shapes. All of those shapes were clustered around one figure.

"Basically, that's what I was counting on." The originator of the first voice, a teen of about seventeen with ropy muscles and baggy ripped clothing looked surprised by the calm tone of voice their target had responded with.

"What…what the hell? You looking for a fight or something?" Their target lifted his head, hard violet eyes taking in each of the poorly dressed teens around him. He sighed and raised his right hand, fist balled up.

"A fight? No, you brats aren't a fight at all. I just want to relieve a little bit of tension that's been building up. So I apologize ahead of time but…I'm getting my aggression out on you!" The leader of the gang didn't have time to even move before the older man was in front of him, and then suddenly his world lit up with brilliant pain as something collided with his face.

The sounds of his gang members screaming obscenities, screaming in pain, or just plain screaming was all that he could get from the fight, his vision blocked by a trail of blood running in front of his eyes. It seemed to last only a few minutes before the sounds stopped with one final thump. "Like I said, sorry about that."

Ten minutes later Drake finds himself standing on a street corner in the dead of night, staring into the distance at nothing. There is no traffic on the street, and nobody else on the sidewalks, leaving him alone to contemplate the change in direction he is giving his life. "So, what now? I could continue like everything was normal, stay with my well paying but irritating and unfulfilling job at Kaiba Corp. or…or what?"

No answers were immediately coming to him, just as they hadn't been for the past three days. For some reason he felt cold on the inside, not boiling over with rage like he had been just a little bit before. "It seems like these past few days I've been swinging back and forth between explosive rage and contemplative coldness. Sheesh, and I thought only women go through this crap."

Letting out a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head at how ludicrous the universe seemed at times. "What a wonderful life I have. Without Kirani with me, what's worthwhile about the life I've been living? I've basically forsaken any chance of other dreams and replaced them with the dream of being with her forever so now…"

Now he was without a dream, and he had always lived on the advice of his father that a person had to live with a dream in their mind and their heart, or there was no point in living. "We're most alive when we're chasing dreams, isn't that what you said dad? But you never got to tell me how to find a dream. So, how do I find a new dream when my old one is shattered? Or do I just keep pursuing it regardless?"

"Yo!" Drake lifted his head, and then immediately wished he hadn't looked up at all. Because running towards him was someone he wouldn't have wanted to see at any point.

"Guy…what the hell do you want? We've already done a Darkness Game, I had a whole life altering decision I made, and that was that. Aren't we done?" Guy, the Archfiend Duelist who had inflicted a Punishment Game on him previously, was now rushing right up to him, waving like an idiot.

"Heh, sorry man but I really can't let you go. It's kinda embarrassing, but I got told by that one dude that I what he meant by 'make sure you can never duel again' was in fact 'kill him'. So, gotta do that, don't I?" Drake stared at the American, and wondered how exactly in the seven hells he had lost to this idiot.

"Yeah, that's a problem or something. Really, I don't care, so go away. I've got some self contemplation I've got to take care. I could pencil you in next week maybe, but I'm full this week. Seeya." Drake gave the other man a parting wave and started crossing the street, heading away.

Guy stared at Drake's repeating back for a second, and then gritted his teeth, looking furious. "HEY! You can't just walk away from me like that! Come back here so I can kill you!"

"Point of interest, threatening to kill someone isn't really the best incentive in the world. Try saying please or you won't get anywhere in life." Guy clenched his fists, his eyes twitching violently as the older man just casually walked away from him.

The sound of a pistol being cocked was enough to stop Drake in his tracks. He tilted his head to the side so he could look over his shoulders, and clearly saw the barrel of a gun being pointed in his direction. "Like I said, gotta kill ya now. Nothing personal."

"Killing someone is always personal. But I'll warn you right now, and warn you only once. Physical violence is something I excel at, so if you even pull back the trigger on that gun at all I'll stick you into a world of hurt." Guy just smirked, and pulled the trigger back half-way, where only a slight tug would fire it off.

"That so? Guess I got no choice…but to kill you in one shot!" He pulled the trigger, causing a chain reaction in the gun that sent the slug hurtling towards his target at high speeds. There was a shattering sound, and then a twirl of smoke that followed.

Drake looked to his right at the wall of a building, which now sported a little bullet hole in it. It was about five feet away from him. "Your aim…really sucks. Have you ever even fired a gun before?"

"Sh…shut up! I've got a stigmatism! Damn, don't hassle me! I'll just kill you with the second shot, okay? Don't get all worked up!" He swung the gun a bit to the side, trying to line it up with Drake, but when he got the duelist lined up in his sights, he saw something he didn't want to see.

The air around Drake was rippling, and as Guy watched the rippling air spread outwards, and soon Guy felt himself being shoved backwards by some invisible force. "What…what the hell's going on?"

"This power…it's just the tip of the iceberg, it's my patience snapping! I just went from cold contemplation to explosive anger, and you're about to be on the receiving end of all this power shoved into my body for one reason…physical violence with your name on it!" Guy grimaced and pulled the trigger.

His eyes opened as wide as the could go as he the gun fired way to the side, because his wrist had been forced to the right by Drake's grip. The slightly taller man was now standing in front of him, looking very pissed off. "How…so far…but…"

Drake's violet eyes were ablaze with his inner rage, and Guy could see clearly that the other man was capable of and about to tear his head off his shoulders. "I'm tired of your face, and I'm tried of people messing with me at all! I just want time to myself to think through my life!"

Guy waved his heads defensively, whimpering with fear, just a few steps shy of wetting himself. "H..hey! I'll ummm…hey, I…umm…I'll never come after you again? You let me live then right? Deal? Please!"

Drake felt a slight weight lift off his shoulders at the thought of not having to dodge this guy, but it did nothing to halt his anger. "Not good enough!"

He lifted his right fist, ready to propel it directly into Guy's face with beyond bone crushing force. With his own energy increasing his physical abilities it would be easy to kill Guy with a single punch. _'Eh!'_

Without a second thought Drake sprang backwards several feet, letting a lump of some kind of energy slam into the place he had been standing moments before. Guy was thrown a few feet backwards by it, but came up stumbling to his feet and running. "I'm surrounded by freaks! I'm getting out of here!"

"What do you want?" There was no immediate response, but Drake could feel it coming before it reached him. Used his boosted muscles he jerked himself to the side in time to see another sphere of compacted energy slam into the side of the building.

_'That energy's a lot weaker than mine…but it nearly overwhelmed me anyways. This guy's good.'_ Dust sprayed out all around him from the impact point, clouding his view of the darkened street. His natural fighting instinct kicked in immediately and he jumped straight up and out of the dust cloud, coming to land on the lamp post.

His violet eyes scanned the area to see what his senses couldn't pick up. _'I can feel his power surging, but I can't pinpoint it, I never figured out how to be exact with it. Damn…where is this guy?'_

If he couldn't figure out where the guy was then he would just be dancing around avoiding energy attacks the whole time, with no chance of counter attack. _'Unless…got it!'_

A spinning sphere of energy came rocketing towards him, and this time instead of jumping aside he whirled to his left and struck the energy ball with his own left arm. It spiraled off to the side and into the air, vanishing. _'He's there!'_

Drake took off like a shot off the lamp post, the arc of his jump taking him in the direction the energy had been fired from. As he got closer from above he began to see a figure standing on the street below, but still couldn't make out any details. _'I've got him now!'_

Instead of landing directly on top of the man like he had planned, Drake found himself compromised in the space of a second. Instead of being blissfully unaware of the human missile coming towards him, Drake's attacker looked casually up at him. _'And I'm suspended in mid-air like this…dodging becomes next to impossible!'_

To Drake's surprise his attacker didn't fire a bolt of energy like before. This time the attacker jumped straight into the air at Drake, moving at incredible speed. _'Shit, no time to dodge!'_

He jerked his body to the side as best he could, but the man's speed was too great and his motion too slow to avoid the attack. A fist struck him roughly in the jaw and propelled him through the air back in the direction he had come. _'Can't let this jerk get the best of me!'_

Drake flipped his body over; getting his feet pointed at the same lamp post he had taken off from. Seconds later they impacted, dropping the speed of his flight dramatically. The force of the impact shattered the glass of the lamp post and put the light out, dropping more of the street into darkness. "Come out of the shadows and fight me for real! If you don't, I'll kill you without another thought!"

Dipping into that well of raw seething energy that was always deep within him Drake pulled forth enough power to level whatever got in his path. And his target was clear. "Not coming out? Then go straight to hell!"

He swung his right arm in a downwards arc from over his head, and everything in the path of that arm was ripped apart by a powerful explosion. The street was blown to pieces for dozens of feet, easily enough to cover the area where his attacker had been. _'Damn…with my energy flowing out all over the place like this I can't sense that guy anymore. Did I get him?'_

A voice suddenly whispered in his ear, and he stiffened at the sound. "Did you really think throwing around raw power like that could win the battle? You've got huge amounts of power, but you lack the skill and finesse to use it properly."

"Shut up!" He swung around, bringing his left elbow up towards where his opponent was behind him. Instead of striking his attacker in the chest like he had hoped for, the other man hoped up, using Drake's elbow as a brace for his palm. He used his hand to springboard off Drake's elbow and flipped over him.

In mid-flip the other man's foot connected with the side of Drake's head, and he once again found himself being propelled at great speed through the air. He crashed into the ground and skidded along it, bouncing at awkward angles. Finally his body stopped sliding, and he started to push himself back up to his feet. _'This guy's got a lot less power than I do…how's he getting the better of me?'_

A foot slammed into Drake's chest, right above his neck, pressing him back down into the pavement. Without the light of a street lamp to clear away the darkness all Drake could do was stare up at the shadowed form of his assailant, and feel regret that he had lost. "Looks like you've got a lot to learn…Daisuke."

"Who the hell are you? What do you want from me? And how the hell do you know my name?" A cocky chuckle drifted down from the figure above him. Something about that cocky air to the voice was familiar to him, like he had heard it before, many times.

"Sheesh, I was certain you'd be brighter than this, with a sharper memory. Really, do you not recognize my voice at all? Heh." The chuckle followed after, and Drake's violet eyes went as wide as he could. The sound of that laughter…was so very similar to his own. The tone of the voice, the manner of speech was…just like a less crude version of the way he had learned to speak.

"Your voice is familiar but, I don't really recognize it. Now answer my questions already, damn…" He felt like unleashing a pure blast of power at the man above him, but couldn't get the desire to do so. His anger was spent, and he felt nothing once again, all that remained was annoyance.

"You really don't remember. Then again, it's been a long time since you've heard my voice…Dai-chan." At that single little nickname, Drake felt his heart skip a beat. The man above him leaned down, his face catching the little bit of light from the nearest lamppost. It was a face that was a bit more tanned than Drake's own, had more lines but also had a more casual look to it. Bright brown eyes were set below a head of neatly combed back dark reddish hair.

"D…dad?"

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_"You're going to be okay aren't you Masue? Aren't you?" A young boy with combed back reddish-brown hair stood at the side of a hospital bed. In the bed was a man with similar colored hair and brown eyes. He smiled down at the young boy, his eyes showing that though he was in pain he wanted to remain strong in this moment._

_The young boy was Daisuke Ihachi, age four. The man in the bed was Masue Ihachi, Daisuke's father. Sitting in chairs right outside the door were two women, one a girl of about nine with hair the color of Daisuke's, and the other in her thirties with black hair. They were holding hands, avoiding looking into the room._

"_Daisuke...I know I told you that it was most polite to call people by their first names but...just this one time...I want you to call me papa. Is that okay?" Daisuke nodded, tears brimming in his eyes, his small hands clenching tightly on his father's big hand. Masue smiled at his son, a smile full of cheer and life._

"_Yes...papa. You're going to be okay right? You said you were going to teach me how to play baseball tomorrow. You promised." Masue sighed and reached out with his other hand to place it on his son's head. He ruffled the boy's hair, making it messy._

"_I'm sorry Daisuke, but it looks like it's a promise I can't keep. I know I said I'd guide you through life, but sometimes things don't work out. But no matter what else happens, I want you to promise me that you'll always fight hard for your dreams." The boy looked up at his father with tear-filled eyes, his gaze questioning. Something like that was hard for a four year old to understand._

"_Just promise me Daisuke. Promise me you'll always remember that. Because we are most alive when we're chasing dreams, and I want you to be alive." The boy nodded once, gulping down a sob that was rising up. He wanted to be strong for his father. He had to be strong._

_Masue pulled his son into a tight one armed hug, and he felt tears trickle down on his hospital gown. Touching his shoulder. "I promise papa, I promise." Daisuke titled his head up to look into his father's eyes as he spoke these words, and at that moment the arm around his shoulder went limp. And he found nothing in his father's eyes when he looked into them. They were just...blank._

_He backed away, shaking his head in denial as the machines made loud noises, and people rushed into the room. They did things, they said so many things. But it was all so fast, all so unclear to him. All he knew was that in far too short a time the doctors left the room, and said something to his mother. She responded by breaking down in tears and crumpling to her knees._

_Daisuke gulped and rushed into the room, grabbing holding of his father's hand. "Papa! PAPA! Wake up papa! You promised you'd guide me in life! You promised me!" He shook his father's arm, desperately trying to wake him up. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and his body became wracked by sobs as he realized the truth. His father wasn't going to be waking up, his father was gone. Dead._

_The word had never had any meaning to Daisuke before. It was something that happened to people in stories, or in movies. Not to real people. People couldn't die, especially not his father. His father was such a lively person, such a strong person. He couldn't be dead. "It's not fair...not fair! It's not right! Papa!"_

_Pain flashed through him as his knees dropped onto the linoleum. He wrapped his arms around himself as he sobbed, trying desperately to understand how his father was gone. "Come back...it's not right, it's not fair, papa come back. You promised, you promised you'd always be there for me!"_

_A pair of arms reached around and pulled him into a warm embrace. The familiar voice of his big sister spoke to him, right into his ear as she held him tight. "I can't promise that it's all going to be okay. But I do promise one thing. No matter what I'll always be there for you. And since papa's not going to be here to guide you...I can."_

_Turning in her grasp the young boy looked up into violet eyes that were almost identical to his. He wiped away some of his tears to clear his vision and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. "You'll be my guide? You promise?"_

_She smiled down at him and nodded once, her eyes lighting up at the look on her brother's face. "I promise. Remember, I'm your guiding light forever and always. A beacon."_

"_Of light?" She smiled and pulled him back into her embrace, and he went willingly. He continued to cry, and so did she. She rocked him back and forth until he drifted into sleep. And they simply sat there together on the hospital floor, with their father lying in a bed not five feet away._

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"But…that's impossible! I saw you die, you died while holding me…you can't be my father!" The man above him pulled his foot away, sighing as he stepped to the side. Drake scrambled to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the man who looked exactly like his father. His father who had died when he was four.

"Nineteen years have passed since then Daisuke. And in this moment when the world is slouching towards Bethlehem I am compelled to return here and tell you the truth. All of the truth." Drake backed away from the man who looked like his father, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You can't be my father, I refuse to believe that! You died!" The man sighed again, casually folding his arms across his chest in a way that reminded Drake of himself. Once again he had to shake himself as a reminder that this man couldn't possibly be his father.

"Really, because I died you refuse to believe it? Then in that case do you expect me to believe that just because you died that you can't possibly be Daisuke Ihachi?" Drake saw no way of refuting that, because he really had no explanation as to what had happened to him back then.

"If you really are my father, if you really are Masue Ihachi, then how are you alive right now? And how do you have so much power and skill?" Masue tilted his head a bit to the side as if looking for a way to answer that question.

"You were four when I died, so you really never got to know me very well. I'm sure the moments of my death are basically all you remember of me. So I'll tell you that whatever picture you've concocted of me is wrong, because Masue Ihachi was never alive to begin with. At least, not in the sense other people are alive." Drake eyed the older man questioningly, not quite sure what to make of that enigmatic answer.

Masue smiled, a bright and warming smile that reminded Drake a little of his sister's smile. It seemed that the trait was inherited, and that Drake's own smarmy grin he had gotten on his own. "A thousand years ago I took the position of Holder of the Last Seal. Now I know that doesn't make any sense to you, so I'll explain."

He tapped a finger against his chin, looking deep in thought as he explained. "Every thousand years a powerful spirit of some sort, one whom I have never met, selects three newborns and implants their souls with a seed of power, making them Holders. Each one is supreme in their domain and born for a specific purpose. I was born to be the Holder of the Last Seal for a thousand years, and time caught up with me nineteen years ago…so I died."

"Now, the three Holders exist to seal away a different aspect of an ancient power. Holder of the First Seal keeps imprisoned the physical manifestation of that ancient power. Holder of the Second Seal chains away spiritual link between that manifestation and the actual power. And of course the Holder of the Last Seal entombs the power itself, keeping it sealed deep within the depths of the dark side of the universe. Each Holder lives a thousand years, never appearing to age beyond their late thirties. And we are forbidden to have children."

Drake opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but Masue silenced him with a smile and by raising his right hand to forestall the question. "You're wondering 'if Holders can't have children, then where do I come into play?' Well the answer is simple. I broke the rule. And I died because of it."

"I don't get it, why did you break the rule? What does it mean?" Masue frowned and dropped down into a cross-legged sitting position, looking rather forlorn as he remembered the events of the past that had led him here.

"I was told at one point that if I ever broke any of the rules of being a Holder I'd have about ten years to live afterwards as my body would begin to fail. But I couldn't help myself, I fell in love. And though those were the best years of my long life, I betrayed everything I had sworn to protect. Because of me, it's quite possible that all of existence is going to end." Drake jerked back, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"What do you mean? How could breaking just one rule make you responsible for the end of existence?" Something about the whole thing just seemed off to Drake, and he was going to make damned sure that he got to the bottom of it.

"I died, but because I didn't fulfill my full thousand years I died without a successor being possible. Nineteen years ago marked my nine hundred and fifty-fourth year as being the Holder of the Last Seal. A new Holder cannot exist until a full thousand years have passed. So for the past nineteen years there has been nothing keeping in check that raw ancient power. And the other two Seals cannot hold without the final one. And that power has the potential and most likely will cause the end of the universe. That's why you're here, and that's why I've forced my way back to this earthly plane to come to you." Brown eyes met violet in an intense staring match.

"Daisuke, I can't explain it fully at this moment without further breaking rules and getting myself caught. If I explain too much then my having come here will have been for nothing. So I'm going to have to teach you. You have enormous power, greater than should be possible for a reason I'll reveal as best I can. But you lack the knowledge and skill to use that power properly, and there are others out there with similar power but with the talent to use it. That's what you have to learn, and you have to do it in one month." Drake eyed his father curiously, not quite sure where this was going.

"I don't get it. What do you have to teach me, and why one month? Something about this seems a bit odd." He frowned as he spoke, folding his arms in a way that was identical to how his father's arms were folded. The older man noticed this and his lips quirked up.

"You have to surpass me in everyway in one month, because in one month is when the Second Seal will break. When that breaks, it will only be a matter of weeks before the First Seal breaks. Then the apocalypse will begin. Before that happens you must learn to harness your power through true skill both in battle, and in Darkness Games. I'm going to make you relearn everything you know about fighting and dueling." Drake turned away and looked down at the ground, his lips set in a thin line.

"Sorry pops, but that can't happen. I've got no dream left, like you always told me I needed. I've got no reason to try and heck if I could or wanted to there's no way I could lose a duel to you. You're out of date, I'm a top duelist." He lifted his head up as the sound of a duel disk clinking together came to him.

He turned around and found that his father had jumped a dozen feet away, a duel disk raised on his left arm, deck already in place. "Is that the case? You seem to be under the impression that you've got real skill to go with that power, but there are people out there who truly know what they're doing. And without learning a few lessons you'll never beat them. So let me teach you a thing or two." (MLP: 4000)

Drake wasn't the least bit surprised when a duel disk appeared in the on position on his own left arm. And the deck too was there, plucked away from wherever Guy had placed it. "I see…but even if you try forcing me into it, as a Punishment Game I can't duel."

"I'm not your ordinary person Daisuke, and when it comes to rules…as I said before, I've broken important ones in the past. So this is no exception!" Drake blinked as what felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders. He understood what had happened, but couldn't really believe it.

"You…removed a Punishment Game from me? Amazing…so, you really do have power and skill. But why do I need to learn any of this anyways? Like I said, I don't have any reason to." Despite his words to the negative his duel disk still activated, the life point counter ticking up. (DLP: 4000)

"That's what you're going to learn from me. Everything that you need, and if it takes beating you soundly right here then I'll do so if it'll force you to let go of that stubborn streak. Now, draw!" Drake acquiesced, drawing five cards while his father drew six. He'd just have to beat his father quick and get it over with.

"I summon Armed Dragon LV3(1200/900) in attack mode! Then I set two cards face down on the field. That ends my turn." A little baby dragon with orange flesh and spikes extending out of its body now stood directly in front of Masue, with two cards down behind it.

Drake drew, considering what he knew about the little dragon. If he allowed it to mature then it would become Armed Dragon LV5 which had a dangerous monster destruction ability. _'Guess I'll have to kill it in this turn.'_

"I play Change of Heart on Armed Dragon LV3 and then sacrificed it for White Sorcerer(2000/2200)!" A man in white robes, his face completely covered, took the place of the little baby dragon, hands clasped together as if forming some strange symbol.

"White Sorcerer, direct attack!" The sorcerer extended both hands, ready to launch its attack, when all of a sudden it vanished, and Armed Dragon LV3 was once again on Masue's field.

"My trap card, Reverse Decisions, allows me to negate one action by the opponent and return the field to as it was before that action was taken. In other words, White Sorcerer and Change of Heart were played for nothing, and my dragon is back." Drake frowned, but let little else slip by. He wasn't done yet, not even after that move.

"I can tell by what you said that my summon was still used, but I simply got my monster back. In that case I can't summon at the moment, so I'll just set two cards face down and end my turn." Two cards appeared in front of him, and then Drake folded his arms back across his chest, awaiting his father's move.

Masue drew once, and then the baby dragon on his field began to grow in size. It changed rapidly, ending up at practically the size of a house. Its skin had changed to a reddish color, and the spikes had become sharper and more numerous. "During my standby phase Armed Dragon LV3 evolves into Armed Dragon LV5(2400/1700)."

The older man pointed to his face down card, and the trap flipped itself up, depicting an Armed Dragon LV7 exploding with fire spraying out of its body. "Level of Destruction allows me to sacrifice a level monster on my field to destroy all magic and trap cards on the opponent's field. The cards to be destroyed cannot be activated in chain."

Armed Dragon LV5's body burst apart, sending a rolling wave of flame across the field. Drake threw up an arm in defense as both of his set cards shattered, and he was unable to do anything about it. _'Damn…I'm completely open, but at least he sacrificed his strong monster for that.'_

"You aren't thinking strategically, and that will be your end. Why would I allow Armed Dragon LV3 to evolve into LV5 if I was just going to sacrifice it? The only reason is that I knew I could restore it! Such as with this card, Monster Reborn!" Drake grimaced as the massive red-skinned beast reappeared on the field.

His frown deepened as his opponent slammed down another card from his hand, and a four foot tall metallic bird-like dragon swooped down onto the field. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4(1600/1000). Perfect amount of attack power, isn't it?"

Drake set his jaw tight, not revealing anything. His field was empty, but he had an ace in the hole, he usually did. _'I'll show you old man, I'm no slacker duelist. I'm top of the heap!'_

"You're thinking that you've got a method to stop me, aren't you? That you're a top duelist who can't lose so easily, right? Well even your current best wouldn't be good enough. But as you are, without what makes you strong, you can't even hope to challenge me. Let me show you...Mind Banishment!" He held up a magic card, and Drake felt the cards in his hand shaking.

"Mind Banishment allows me to name one card, and if that card is in your hand its effect can never be used during this duel. I name Kuriboh Magician(300/200)!" Drake gasped, the card on the far right of his hand clearly showing as the named monster. But how his father had known was an entirely different matter.

"But…how? I don't understand any of this? What am I missing that lets me lose so easily, that made me lose twice?" His father's eyes were set, hardened by determination and nearly a thousand years of experience. Drake wondered if he really could ever have won with those eyes staring at him.

"You lack the two things which make you strongest. Your passion and your dreams. Without passion you cannot fight full strength, and without your dreams you have no reason to fight full strength. That is what I'll teach you, I'll teach you how to recover those two things and surpass your previous limits! Armed Dragon, Horus, direct attack!" Two streams of flame covered Drake, driving him to his knees. (DLP: 0, MLP: 4000)

Drake looked up as his father walked towards him, hand extended for him to take. "What do you say Daisuke? Do you want to find your dreams and recover your passion? For whatever the stakes, is that what you'd like?"

For what seemed and eternity all Drake could do was stare at the offered hand. Thousands of thoughts were flitting through his mind like a hurricane, as an important decision lay before him. Finally he came to his decision and clasped his father's hand. "Yeah, because we're most alive when we're chasing dreams, right?"

Masue pulled him to his feet, and smiled at his son warmly. "Yes, that's right. Now let's go find your dream again. It's time to begin to relearn everything you had known."

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Author's Notes: A little bit of new information for ya, and some action for Drake.

_Next Time: Drake's process of relearning what he has known begins, but he is not the only one attempting to learn something. Dalin and Hikari arrive in Kyoto, meeting up with Alice, Isis, and Rishid. Their search for the immortal who can lead them to The Puppeteer brings them face to face with a very shocking face._

_See it all in, Lusts of the Immortal!_

_Review Response_

Time Mage: Heh, the truth is out there.

WolfGeneral: Yep, and the Apocalypse doesn't like to wait much. But it has patience.

Black Death X: I was never really depressed or down about it. It's just that I like to write something lighthearted on occasion to mix it up so not everything I do is dark.

G.O.T. Nick: And I thank you for introducing me to that web comic, because it's great fun. And for Revelation of Suffering you'd need to be Dark Drake, because it is after all a soul card.


	24. Lusts of the Immortal

Author's Note: Believe it or not, but this chapter will actually be primarily humor based. A nice change of pace neh?

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Lusts of the Immortal**

Hikari stretched out her back, glad to finally be free from the confines of the plane. It was fairly spacious, but it was still cramped enough to make her muscles stiff. "Glad to be back on my feet again, although the break from walking was nice."

Dalin nodded and slung a duffel bag over his shoulder, walking down the steps from the plane behind Hikari. "We should check in to the hotel while we wait for Isis' group to arrive. Before making any further moves in this city it would be best to gather together."

His companion just continued to stretch her body out as they headed for the waiting car that they had rented over the phone. It was turning out that the money Dalin had won in various types of competitions was coming in handy. "They said they'd be here around two, so we won't have to wait that long, just an hour and a half."

They got into the car, and Dalin started it up, moving out onto the road as quickly as possible. It was obvious to Hikari that he had memorized the route they were supposed to take, which really didn't surprise her. _'Although he's an impressive person, hours on a plane with this guy when he barely talks can just get annoying…'_

Since there was nothing to do about it she just relaxed and waited through the car ride. After what seemed an eternity of silence they pulled up to the small hotel that they had rented a room at. She followed Dalin in, ignoring the process of getting themselves checked in, and then finally followed him up to the room. _'Remember, just an hour and a half before we meet up with people who can actually hold a normal conversation.'_

Once they reached the room she plopped down on the bed and flicked on the TV, hoping to see something interesting on. Most of the channels were showing shows or movies she didn't recognize and that didn't look very interesting. _'Then again, I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for. I get enough action in duels, but I'm not in the mood for something slow-paced either.'_

When there was nothing to see she turned the TV off and dropped her head back against the pillow. Dalin was quietly sitting in a chair near the window, staring out at the city line, leaving her alone to relax. And slowly she began to drift away. _'Maybe the right show is playing in my dreams…'_

The world around her shifted, and she found herself lying down on a solid sheet of some pitch black material. It felt amazingly soft against her back, like she would sink into it and be lost forever. _"Death."_

She started to jerk upright at the sound of the word, but found that she was sliding back into the darkness that she was lying on and couldn't move. Above her an indistinct face appeared, the only obvious feature being the eyes. They were hollow white eyes that seemed dead to the world. _"Death Is Coming."_

The eyes and face faded away, only to be replaced by a pair of emerald green eyes with slitted irises. Those eyes seemed to bore into her own, seething and burning with a deep inner…something. It was beyond even hatred. _"Hatred will consume the world."_

Those eyes faded away, quickly replaced by a pair of deep pools of black that substituted as eyes. They seemed to be dragging her into them with each and every moment, even though she was sinking into the darkness. _"The last song of the world will play."_

Again the eyes changed, this time becoming a deep blue color that faintly she remembered having seen. But she couldn't place where she had ever seen eyes of such a deep and piercing blue before. _"One becomes All."_

Finally an eerie set of eyes replaced those dark ones. One of the eyes was a deep purple color, with flecks of red spinning through it. The other was bigger, and seemed to move at its own whim. Looking closer she saw that instead of a pupil the eye had a slobbering set of teeth. _"Die by my hand!"_

The darkness pulled her completely into it, and she found herself spinning around in the darkness. She could feel hands reaching out for her, cold fingers just barely touching her skin, and an endless number of eyes staring her direction. And then the same terrible cruel voice that had said it would kill her spoke again. _"Become my sacrifice and die a thousand deaths!"_

She jerked awake, her skin flushed with sweat as she breathed heavily, trying to recover from the intensity of the dream. She looked over at Dalin, and saw that he was still staring out the window as if nothing had happened. "They're at the ground floor, they'll be coming up shortly. You've been asleep for most of the past hour."

Unable to speak she just nodded, even though he couldn't see it while facing the other direction. _'Was I really completely silent even while having that dream? What was that about anyways…maybe I'm just letting this whole 'apocalypse' thing get to me.'_

When finally the knock came at the door she unsteadily stood and walked to it. The instant she pulled it open something zipped past her, spinning her around. There was a shriek of joy, and when Hikai managed to refocused she was surprised at what she saw. What looked to be about a twenty year old blonde girl was latched onto Dalin's arm, grinning like an idiot.

"Senpai! I won the duel against that guardian, just like you expected me to!" Dalin looked down at her, his usual blank face there, but still the girl seemed excited. The big man reached down and patted her on the head, a shadow of a smile on his face.

"Good work Alice. I assume you all got what you went for?" Alice nodded happily, but before she was able to say anything the other two people who had come with her stepped into the room. Hikari moved away to give Isis and Rishid room to move.

Isis and Dalin looked at each other, similar quiet and focused looks on their faces. Hikari was reminded once again that these two at one point had been involved in some way, but to what degree she wasn't certain. "I have much to tell you about Dalin. In private."

Dalin stood immediately, removing Alice's hand from his arm. "I want you and Rishid to fill in Hikari on what you have learned. I will talk with Isis in the other room while you do that."

"Of course senapi, just as you say!" She saluted him, and kept the salute the whole time as he walked into the adjacent room with Isis. Once the door was closed and they were out of sight she dropped her arm and flopped down on the bed.

"I need TV. Desperately I need some sort of civilization." She grabbed the controller and turned the TV on and started flipping through channels, just like Hikari had been earlier. Hikari suppressed a laugh, feeling better already with just seeing someone as lighthearted as Alice. Yes, Dalin's presence was oppressive.

Rishid scowled at the back of Alice's head, obviously not happy that she was leaving the explanations to him. "Very well Ihachi-san, I'll explain. We went to Egypt to investigate an ancient tome that housed an evil monster. We were going to use a pool of memories to unlock the secret to destroying the Dark Spirit once and for all."

Hikari leaned in, intrigued by that chance. She didn't really know anything about the strange spirit except for what she had heard from others. According to both Daisuke and Kirani it appeared to be essentially immortal since it had no true form, but Kirani said it had been given a personalized body, making it a threat again. "And what did you learn? How do we kill it?"

"We don't. According to the Well of Lost Memories since the Avatar of Apep is just that, a fragment of Apep, we can't destroy it without destroying Apep. And Apep is a dark god that is stronger than most single gods, and neigh unkillable. Isis also learned something she wouldn't tell us, saying it was only for Dalin's ears." Hikari sighed, having feared it was something like that. There was never good news when it came to defeating the bad guys.

"Hey Hikari, I didn't know you were famous." Alice's voice caught both her and Rishid off guard, and they nearly fell off the bed from the shock. Once they managed to recover themselves they turned their attention on the young woman.

"I'm not famous at all. What gave you that impression?" Alice just pointed at the TV, which appeared to be showing some sort of movie celebration going on. One of the movie's stars was walking down the red carpet with a beautiful woman at his arm, wearing a slinky red dress with quite a bit of cleavage showing.

That wasn't unusual for movie stars and dates of movie stars. What was surprising was that this woman was…different. Hikari simply couldn't believe her eyes. "She…looks just like me!"

Indeed, the woman had long russet-brown hair the same shade as Hikari's, the only difference being that Hikari let hers remain fairly wild and it went down to her shoulders, while this woman's hair was done in curl's and went down to her mid-back. The woman on the television screen also had a pair of brilliant violet eyes, and a bright smile as she waved to the camera. "Yeah, that's what I thought to. Guess you've got a look-a-like out there. Pretty cool huh?"

Hikari shook her head, not quite sure what to make of it. Something about this concept seemed familiar though, like she had heard something about it before. "No…she doesn't look just like me. She looks like I looked around when I was sixteen or seventeen."

Alice shot an incredulous stare over her shoulder at Hikari. "You're kidding right? That woman can't possibly be sixteen; she's got to at least be in her early twenties. Did you really like that when you were sixteen?"

To Alice's surprise Hikari nodded without hesitation, and somehow, seeing the shocked look in Hikari's eyes, Alice was able to believe it. "Lucky…but I still wonder how there's someone out there who looks just like you do."

Hikari turned back to the program, thinking about it very carefully. She reached back to the past few days, and began to remember something in conjunction with a tidbit of information her brother had told her at one point. _"Ah, yes, it's simple. To learn the location of the Puppeteer you must first speak to the immortal girl. She is the Avatar of Set in this plane of existence. Once coaxed she will give you the next piece of information. She is in Kyoto at this very moment. Please, make haste."_

"Oh hell no…" Pema Khandro's words, this girl, they were starting to match up with what her brother had told her.

_"It's true, I swear. Honest to goodness she looked just like you, only a little younger. Three and a half thousand years old though and trapped in the disc. Believe me, you don't want to know how she became immortal."_

Hikari groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Rishid and Alice stared at her questioningly and finally she looked back up at them. "Rishid, the Egyptian god Set, he had red hair didn't he?"

The Egyptian man frowned, curious as to why she brought this up. "Yes. In Egypt red was considered to be an evil color. For an Egyptian virtually all people have dark brown or black hair, so deviance from that was usually viewed as a sign of evil. Foreigners with reddish hair, such as yours, would have been viewed as servants of evil, or Set."

"Just like I feared. Rishid, would you mind knocking on the door and getting Dalin and Isis? I just found out exactly who we need to talk to. The immortal female avatar of Set, who can tell us how to find the Puppeteer." Rishid glanced at the TV screen, and his eyes widened in comprehension.

Hikari watched him walk to the door and knock on it. Shortly after it cracked open and he stuck his head in. Whatever he said was muffled by the wall and the door, so Hikari was unsure. Whatever was said it worked, as Dalin and Isis soon exited. _'Is it just me, or are those two looking more serious than normal? Kind of hard to tell though…'_

Dalin took one look at the screen, sighed, and then grabbed a white button up shirt and slid his arms into it. Once it was on, but still unbuttoned, he grabbed his duel disk off the counter and attached to his arms. "That's what I was afraid of. Coaxing her is going to be difficult."

Hikari, Isis, and Rishid all picked up their own duel disks and started for the door after Dalin. Alice on the other hand just stared at their backs in confusion. "Umm…what's going on? I don't get it."

Dalin looked over his shoulder, looked her in the eye, and then gave her a very succinct answer. "We're going to crash a movie premier."

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Simply saying that they were going to crash the movie premier didn't make it any easier though. Violence was out of the question, at least according to Dalin, and they had no way to get in. With traffic as it was they got their after the movie itself had started, forcing them to wait outside.

An hour and a half after they had arrived the people began to pour out of the theater. It was seemingly impossible to spot a single specific person in that mess. Yet Dalin and Rishid, taller than everyone else by at least a head each, were able to spot their target. "Let's move."

When Dalin and Rishid moved into a crowd, it sort of naturally parted. Rishid was not as large as Dalin was, but his intimidating glower made up for it, and people scattered in their wake. In a short time they reached the movie star, a five and a half foot handsome man with jet black hair, who smiled at them eagerly. "Yes, can I help you? I'm not doing autographs right now, I apologize."

Their target looked around her date's shoulder, and blanched at what she saw. It was obvious she recognized them. Dalin was about to speak, but Isis laid a hand on his shoulder. Dalin stopped and stepped aside, allowing the much smaller Egyptian woman to step forward. The actor smiled brightly at her, obviously finding her good looks and bronzed skin appealing. "Yes miss, what can I do for a beautiful lady such as yourself?"

"Are you aware that your date is underage?" Now it was the actor's turn to blanch, and look back at his date. She scowled, and his eyes widened in horror.

Now it was Hikari's turn to take action, and when the actor saw her he seemed even more surprised. "That's my younger sister you have there. She's still just sixteen, so I'd appreciate it if you just leave her with us, and we won't press charges."

"Ah, yes, right. Absolutely! I'll just be going along then!" He rushed away, leaving them standing in a circle around the young looking immortal girl. She scowled at each of them in turn, and then got right up in Isis' face.

"You know, you ruined a great chance for me. It took some work to get that date, and I was going to have him tonight as well. My first time in this modern day world would have been with a celebrity. That would have been fun. But you ruined it. Are you going to make up for it?" Isis nearly choked on her tongue when their target's scowl turned into a seductive sultry look, and she began to lean in farther towards Isis, till their lips were just an inch apart.

Hikari grabbed the younger looking girl by the arm and dragged her away, the rest of the group following after. Isis was last, still looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Hikari turned on the young immortal and gritted her teeth. "What is wrong with you! You were coming on to her?"

In response the girl waved her hand dismissively, acting like she hadn't a care in the world. "Don't get so worked up about it. We weren't as uptight back in my day. Besides, I haven't gotten laid in three and a half thousand years. That's probably the world's longest dry spell. The only way I could be hornier is if I up and sprouted horns on top of my head." She demonstrated by curling two fingers over her head like horns.

Hikari groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, unable to believe that somebody who acted like that looked just like her. Rishid and Dalin were stone faced as usual, but Alice was trying to hold back laughter. Dalin shook his head. "Ihachi, we've come for a reason."

Again the girl waved her hand dismissively, her bright violet eyes gazing up at Dalin's intense green ones. The sultry smile once again returned to her pretty face, and she leaned in close to Dalin, despite the height difference. "It's Ihami big guy. You're a bit on the cold side, but I'm sure a big guy like you makes up for it with…other attributes."

Once again Ihami was yanked away from her intended target, this time by a furious looking Alice. "Don't lay your filthy hands on senpai! Somebody like you doesn't deserve him!"

Ihami laid a dainty manicured hand on Alice's shoulder, and then moved it up to the back of the older looking girl's neck. Alice immediately tensed, and adopted the same 'deer in headlights' look that Isis had been sporting less than a minute earlier. "Aww…how sweet. You all brought me something special as a treat. A virgin, how nice."

Dalin stood behind Ihami, towering over her, and spoke without looking at her. "We came to ask you the location of the Puppeteer, and that is all. However you got out of your prison I don't know, but that is unimportant. You will tell us what we want to know."

Ihami craned her neck backwards and grinned up at Dalin, fully aware that she was giving him a perfect view down the front of her dress. Hikari continued to massage her temples, still not quite sure she could believe this was happening. "On one condition. I get to break in the virgin, and then I'll tell you how to find the Puppeteer."

Rishid watched Dalin's face very carefully, but as usual the man gave nothing away. Rishid himself was very tempted to simply accept the offer, as it would probably make the girl less annoying. _'Perhaps he'll say yes and we won't have to deal with Alice any longer.'_

Unfortunately Rishid's hopes of ditching Alice were dashed against the rocks when Alice herself ripped away from Ihami and pointed a finger right in the immortal's face, red in the face and looking like a volcano about to go off. "You can't proposition for me like that! You….how dare you! I challenge you to a Darkness Game!"

A collective sigh came from the rest of the group, but to their surprise Ihami snickered and seconds later they were surrounded by darkness, cutting them off from the crowd that had been milling around. "I'd love to my little pure angel. Of course, you do realize that if you lose to me, I'm free to inflict any Punishment Game on you. And that a Punishment Game isn't necessarily a bad thing. They can be…pleasurable."

Alice's face was as bright red as a tomato, which seemed to make Ihami even more amused. The other two women simply weren't sure what to believe, while Dalin and Rishid remained placid. "Yeah…well if you lose you have to tell us about the Puppeteer, no strings attached! And this'll be a duel, so I hope you can figure out how to even use a duel disk!" (ALP: 4000)

Ihami chuckled and snapped her fingers. Instantly five cards appeared in her hand out of nowhere, and a brilliant crystalline duel disk formed on her arm. "Girl, I'm three and a half thousand years old. I may look sixteen, but that's only because I became immortal at sixteen. I've got nearly a hundred more lifetimes experience in Darkness Games than you have. This'll be fun." (ILP: 4000)

Alice drew and slapped the card down. The monster that formed had very little shape, aside from being a black blob of goo with an inner green glow. "Nuclear Sludge(700/700) in attack mode! When this monster is summoned and I have no cards on my field I draw twice!"

She slid two cards off her deck, then placed them into her hand. "My preparations are nearly done, so for the moment I set one card face down and end my turn."

Ihami plucked a card off the top of her deck with two fingers, an amused smile on her face. Alice found it strangely disconcerting to be dueling someone wearing such a fancy dress. "Well, it seems that my soul has produced these cards again. That's certainly useful. And such a pity for you…"

The blonde girl tensed as the immortal looked over her hand. She had rushed into this without a second thought, and had no idea what Ihami was capable of. She also had no idea about her opponent's strategy. "Get on with it."

"Right you are. Activate magic card, Choosers of the Slain! At a cost of a thousand life points I can add two Valkyries from my deck to my hand!" Two cards popped out of her deck and she gratefully accepted them into her hand. Alice tensed, realizing that she knew little about this deck type. Valkyrie Decks were a mystery to her. (ILP: 3000)

Ihami smirked and a slot at the side of her crystal duel disk flipped open. "Oh, I see you think this is just a simple Valkyrie Deck. Well, this deck is a creation of my soul, and I had something of a goddess complex for a thousand years or so. Recent defeats have obliterated that, but I'm back and ready for some physical action. I'm not good or evil, I'm not really much of anything besides myself. So this deck reflects my multi-faceted nature. Prepare to face some brute strength!"

She slapped one of her seven cards into the slot, which Alice was certain was a field card. "Field magic card activate, Jotunheim! Here there be giants…"

The area around them warped, and soon they stood in a huge valley with giant rocky mountains on each side. A river wound past them, and the ground shook occasionally with what Alice could only guess were footfalls. Up at the peak of one of the mountains was a foreboding castle. "In this realm the levels of all giants are reduced by one, and they all gain two hundred attack and defense points. That's not all, but it's a great start for my first giant!"

She gracefully placed the card down on her duel disk, and something emerged from the dense forests. Standing easily twenty or thirty feet in height and with a deformed body structure, Ihami's monster could be described as nothing else but a giant. "Jotun Thrudgelmir(3000 +200/2700 +200) emerges, son of the giant father!"

Alice gulped as the huge dark skinned creature glared down at her with big bug-like eyes, each one ice blue in color. The ground around the giant's feet was also frosting over. "How can you summon a monster like that so easily?"

"Oh it's easy. I can reduce the level of all Jotuns, or giants, in my hand by three if I discard a Valkyrie from my hand. So I discarded Valkyrie Dritt(1000/1600) in order to drop Thrudgelmir's level down to five. Jotunheim lowered him by another level, making him a level four. And now that he's here, he's going to crush you. Attack!" The giant raised one hand and shards of ice flew from it, streaking towards Alice's sludge monster.

"Hold it! Activate set trap card, Atomic Strike! This destroys your attacking monster if I've got a monster with 'atomic', 'nuclear', or 'radioactive' in its name on my field. Then you take three hundred damage!" A wave of green energy smashed into the giant, but to Alice's surprise it merely roared and shook off the attack.

"Thrudgelmir is a Jotun, and they were on par with the gods of Asgard! Thrudgelmir is far too powerful to be defeated by any destruction effect, and as such he is immune to trap cards completely!" Alice braced herself as the shards ripped apart her monster. It cost her as well. (ALP: 1500)

Ihami smirked and slid a card from her hand onto her duel disk, and it appeared behind her giant monster. Then she placed her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot. "Well, you going to take your turn, or are we going to sit here for the next thousand years. I can do that, but I don't think you can."

Alice gritted her teeth and drew. "Okay, I think I can counter your monster. To do it I'll have to form a monster of greater strength. So, it's time I activate Polymerization!"

She held up the magic card as well as three monster cards and a vortex appeared in front of her. "I fuse Atomic Soldier, Nuclear Soldier, and Radioactive Soldier together! United as one they form Supreme Energy Formation-Soldier(3500/2500)!"

A vaguely humanoid form was what came out of the vortex. But this monster's features couldn't be discerned, as its body was forged entirely from a pure form of energy. "This monster is rather lacking in effects. But his one effect is a deadly one. When summoned he automatically halves the opponent's life points!"

Now it was Ihami's turn to grit her teeth and bear it as a dark purple glow surrounded her, leeching energy from her body. "That's a good effect, and he's also more powerful than Thrudgelmir. You're better than I guessed." (ILP: 1500)

"I'm better than just good, I'm fantastic! I was trained by Dalin-senpai, the greatest duelist on the face of the Earth! Thanks to that training there aren't many duelists I can't beat. I'll prove it by stomping you into the dirt! Attack my soldier!" The soldier didn't move, instead a glob of pure energy shot out of its body straight at the giant.

"Reverse card open, Wrath of the Vanir! This trap card destroys one monster on the opponent's field and removes it from the game. In exchange I can call out a monster from the grave. So, return to my Valkyrie Dritt(1000/1600)!" The pure energy form was ripped apart, and as it faded a woman in fanciful gold armor riding a white horse appeared, bearing a sword in one hand.

"Valkyre Dritt gains one hundred attack for each card that is removed from play, so I thank you for that. Is there anything else you'd like to fail to do, or can we move along to the part where I win and take you to bed?" Alice's entire body was shaking, and suddenly she exploded.

"Shut up! I'm not going to sleep with you! Damn it, they said you were some sort of religious leader in Ancient Egypt, and I was under the impression that women in Egyptian religion ended up being sworn virgin priestesses. Sheesh!" Ihami rolled her eyes at Alice, which only made the blonde angrier.

"You know, that's a bit inaccurate actually. When I was born I was designated to be the Head Priestess to one of the few remaining sects that worshipped Set. Yes, I would have been a sworn virgin. Of course I wasn't much up for that once I rolled around to puberty, and so I had a little fun with some of the priests and those coming to pray. After that well…they kicked me out and my true purpose was discovered." She tapped a finger against her chin, looking thoughtful as she called up ancient memories.

"It boils down to the fact that I was chosen to be Set's chosen avatar, who would convey his will to the mortals below. Which was fine with me, as sworn virginity just didn't appeal to me. Heh, it didn't take long before my talents became legendary amongst the upper echelons of Egyptian society of the time. You have no idea how useful sexual wiles were. In such a dry harsh world as that, the tongue is an amazing organ, did you know that?" Alice blushed fiercely as Ihami ran a tongue along her bright red lips.

"Okay okay, I get the picture! Just…stop talking, okay? I set a monster face down and one card behind it. End turn." She shuddered at the thought of what losing this duel might cost her. So there was absolutely no choice but to win, she couldn't accept anything else.

Ihami laughed, the sound almost as crystalline as her duel disk. She drew again, and seemed oddly satisfied by whatever she had. "Well, this duel is nearly done I suppose. I sacrifice Valkyrie Dritt in order to summon Valkyrie Sovite(1600/1600) whose summon effect destroys one monster on your field."

The gray haired Dritt was replaced by the larger pink haired Sovite, who pointed her sword at the face down monster. The set card was blown apart, and Alice felt more worried than before. "Next I activate my magic card, Loki's Betrayal! This lets me name a magic card in your deck and if I named it right you must activate it. I name Cyclone!"

Alice blinked in surprise as the card popped out of her deck. She took it, still confused about the move. "Okay, so you're going to force me to destroy your field card? What's the point of that?"

"Don't take me lightly. I discard Bifrost Bridge, which lets me prevent my field from being targeted in any way this turn. Since Cyclone has to activate, and since my field is immune, your card's only target is your set card!" Ihami snickered as a whirling miniature tornado emerged from the magic card and flew straight at the face down card.

"Hold it right there! Activate trap card, Nuclear Lockdown! If I have a monster on my field or in my grave then during this turn I cannot be attacked." Heavy metal doors appeared out of nowhere and slammed shut in front of Alice, keeping Ihami away from her.

"Well that protects you for this turn. I'll just have to prepare for my next turn by playing Gifts of the Esir, which allows me to draw until I'm holding six cards at no cost whatsoever. Pretty sweet isn't it?" She drew six times, and looked absolutely delighted at whatever she saw.

"Ooo, I set one card face down and end my turn." Alice eyed the ageless beauty as she drew, worried about the way this duel was going. She was holding on, but Ihami was so casually smashing her efforts that it was disheartening. She was definitely a very good duelist.

Alice drew, her determination to not become this freaky immortal's sexual toy keeping her going. "Alright, I play Monster Reincarnation. I discard the last card in my hand to pick up a monster from my grave. And I summon Nuclear Sludge(700/1000) in defense mode, whose effect lets me draw twice."

She drew two more times, worried by how excited Ihami looks. _'Somehow I get the feeling that I'm being…toyed with? But I'm a duelist on par with some of the highest caliber duelists in the world. Only duelists like Dalin and the few close to his level can beat me. So how could this girl…'_

"Oh Alice….I activate my counter trap card, Rule of the Esir, which lets me negate one action of the opponent's. And in this case I'm negating your draw." As Alice grudgingly placed the two cards back onto her deck before getting to see them she realized she had been right. Ihami was toying with her, because she could have easily stopped Alice from picking up Nuclear Sludge at all.

"Now, it's my turn, and it's time to claim my victory. Valkyrie Sovite, attack Nuclear Sludge!" The valkyrie rode out across the field and slashed the goo monster in half with her sword. The monster faded away, leaving Alice completely open.

"Juten Thrudgelmir, attack Alice directly!" A wave of icicles shot out of the giant's massive hand, stabbing down all around Alice. She fell to the ground, supporting herself on her hands, unable to believe how easily she had been crushed. She still couldn't believe it even as the darkness faded, returning them to her friends. (ALP: 0)

She heard footsteps coming towards her, and braced herself for the worst. But to her surprise the footsteps went past her, so she lifted her head to see what was happening. From what she could see Ihami had approached Dalin and the others. "Well, that was good enough fun for me tonight. I'll lead you guys to the Puppeteer tomorrow afternoon, but you'll have to pay my expenses. Which includes new clothes, food, and one of you is going to have to explain to me what in the name of Set a tampon is."

Dalin paused, and then pointed over at his female Egyptian companion. "Isis will assist you with that. I'm not equipped for that specific item."

Isis flinched, while Rishid and Hikari stared at Dalin in abject horror. Hikari pointed a finger at the giant of a man and gawked at him. "Did…did you just make a joke!"

He looked over at her, his green eyes set like stone and his face unmoving as normal. Then he turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Come, let's return to the hotel until morning."

They started to walk away, and finally, unable to hold it in, Alice burst. "But…what about the Punishment Game?"

Ihami looked back over at her, and tapped a finger against the side of her head. "Psychological really. As much as some men seem to say otherwise, there's not actually anything exciting about a virgin, in fact it's plenty annoying. Anyways, I don't need to use a Darkness Game to get laid; I'll just pick a bell hop or something for tonight, no need to worry."

"So…you were just teasing me because you thought it was fun?" Alice found that somewhat hard to believe, but then again she didn't really know much about this strange immortal woman.

"Well, not just because it was fun. You are pretty; I wouldn't have teased you if it were otherwise. But honestly, I'd prefer my first time in the past three and half thousand years to be with a man if I can. No offense meant, but while women are fun in their own way, they usually want to cuddle afterwards, and I'm not up to dealing with that tonight. Now come on, I've got to go find me a bell hop." As the immortal began to walk after the group again, Alice just stood there.

Several seconds later she came to her senses and started chasing after them to catch up. _'Somehow that woman has assimilated herself into the group as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She's unique, that's for sure. Yet despite that, she seems to be pretty simple anyways. I expected an immortal to be so complex and dangerous but…she's not that different from me. A normal girl with normal urges, albeit a bit flamboyant about it. I guess that's what it's like being sixteen for all eternity. Endless hormones.'_

Her thought processes froze for a moment as she caught up with Ihami and looked at the woman carefully. "You ever wish you became immortal at just a little bit later of an age?"

"You have no idea."

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Isis sat up in her bed in separate room she had gotten in the hotel. Someone was standing in her doorway, features obscured by the lack of light. "I was expecting you sooner than this. I had been starting to think I was wrong."

"No, not wrong. I apologize." Isis shook her head as the figure approached her, relaxing against her pillows.

"No, there's no need to apologize. I knew this was coming and I perfectly understand." The figure stood over her bed, staring down at her for the next few moments. There was perfect silence between them.

"Goodnight Isis. And goodbye."

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Alice hopped out of bed in her pajamas, fully awake and happy to be so. Her night had been long and restful, and she felt much better than she had after her loss. "Now that was a restful sleep. And after those weird dreams, it's time to get a little bit of info on our new resident immortal. And I know exactly who to ask!"

She put on a pair of slippers and slipped out the door. Quickly she crossed the hall to the other room, and put the extra keycard she had taken into the reader. The door unlocked and she pushed it open quietly just in case the resident was sleeping. "Oh Isis…you awake?"

She approached the bed, where she could vaguely tell Isis was still sleeping thanks to the strands of long black hair that hung out over the sheets. After tiptoeing up to it, Alice felt a sudden evil streak and reached for the cover. _'I hope she doesn't scream too loudly at being woken up by me, but it'll be funny either way.'_

Alice grabbed the cover and threw it back. She stared at Isis good and long, and then stumbled backwards. She hit the wall, unable to go any farther backwards, and screamed bloody murder.

Isis' eyes were open and staring blankly up at the ceiling. She wasn't breathing or moving either. Alice repeated the concept in her mind, unable to comprehend it fully no matter how many times she tried to. But no matter how much she wished it wasn't so, there was no changing it.

Isis Ishtar was dead.

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Author's Notes: Nothing much to say. Especially on the end of the chapter. However, I will say this. Ihami is one of my favorite characters I've ever created. For some reason writing her is just a lot of fun for me.

_Next Time: Tragedy has befallen the group in Kyoto in the form of Isis Ishtar's mysterious death. With few signs of the cause, their only choice is to move onwards towards the Puppeteer. While they do so Kirani concludes her confrontation with her brother, and must come to terms with what being a Kajika means._

_See it all in, Burdens of the Family!_


	25. Burdens of Family

Author's Note: Now for the conclusion of the battle of siblings, Kirani versus Tokuha!

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Burdens of the Family**

_Tokuha looked at three of his cards, and then slid them into his duel disk. "I set those three. Then I play Temporal Distortion, which forfeits my battle phase to destroy all magic and traps in play. Each of us draw one card for every lost card."_

_All of their sets shattered, and Kirani drew twice for her two lost cards. Because he had lost three, Tokuha drew three cards. "I lost all three Repayment of Losses, so I draw three cards extra. Then since you drew out of your draw phase Appropriate lets me draw two again."_

_Her older brother reached for another of his fourteen cards to play, but suddenly his Duel Vest beeped, indicating the end of his turn. For the first time he expressed genuine surprise. "What…why did my turn end?"_

_Kirani smirked and slipped a card out of her cemetery. "Because you did just like I thought you would, and destroyed my Lightning Rod. When destroyed by an effect I can discard a card from my hand to end your turn immediately. You're powerful, but predictable."_

_Tokuha laughed out right, honestly impressed by his sister's play. "Very well done, you managed to stop me from doing anything further, sticking me with fourteen cards at the end of my turn and no cards in play. So, I'll discard these eight cards to reduce my hand size to allowed size."_

_She drew, and then threw the card onto her duel disk. "Berserker Gilford(3000/0) in attack mode! Now, double direct attack!" Tokuha was once again sent flying, this time by two mighty attacks, one from each monster. (TLP: 7500)_

_Next she held up one of her other cards, and Berserker Gilford faded away. "Lightning Energy Reserve lets me tribute a Gilford to gain half its attack points as life points." (KLP: 2300)_

_Finally she slid one of the three remaining cards she was holding into her duel disk. "That card face down. Your turn Tokuha, and I'm ready. Even if you're a stronger duelist than me, even if you're my older brother…I don't intend to stop fighting, even if victory were impossible I wouldn't stop!"_

_Her brother paused in the process of drawing, and gave her a smile. "I see…it's the influence of that boyfriend of yours. I can understand your passion, but I won't let it get in the way of our family's duty."_

_He drew, and then slid three cards out of the grave. "I remove my three A Second Chance cards to draw six cards in total." Just like that he was back up to thirteen cards, without any effort at all._

_"Now, it's time to unleash the second stage of power! I remove a Dark Essence and a Light Essence from the cemetery to special summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)!" The black and gold armored soldier now stood resolutely on his field, staring across at Kirani dispassionately._

_"Double Chaos Edge!" Black Luster Soldier flew across the field at great speed, slashing casually through Gilford of Thunder and then into Kirani. She slid across the carpet, a barrier barely formed to keep her from being hurt._

_"I…I won't fall Tokuha! Not to your messengers, never to your messengers! And especially not to you! Thunder Reflective Surface divides the damage as life increase to the two of us!" (KLP: 4400, TLP: 9600)_

_Tokuha let out a loud laugh, looking quite proud of his sister. "You keep fighting, and I'm impressed by that. But defeat is inevitable when you face me. Three cards face down, and then Eternal Renewal reshuffles all cards in our cemeteries and out of play piles back into our decks."_

_Both of them shuffled their decks back up, and he was left with eight cards in his hand. "I discard two cards from my hand to return my hand size to six. Now, let your turn begin." _

_Letting out a deep breath she gripped the top card of her deck, and then closed her eyes. "Tokuha…let me show you what I've learned. Even if nobody else has…let me be the first to defeat you and your messengers. Let me show you…that I've chosen my path correctly!"_

Kirani drew fiercely and then all of a sudden a wave of dizziness hit her. She planted her feet as forcefully against the ground as she could and made herself remain standing. _'Damn damn damn…not now…not here. Wait till after the duel is done!'_

The dizziness faded, and she finally got a chance to look at her drawn card. "Tokuha, I'll bring down Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning in this turn, just watch me! Pot of Greed activates!"

A large green pot appeared on the field, a big grinning face at the front. As she moved to draw her cards, one of Tokuha's three face down cards flipped up as well. "In response to you drawing outside of your draw phase I activate Appropriate. Seeing as I used it on your before, you know its effect."

"That's right, I do. Now, continuous magic card activate! Lightning Edge! As long as this card is in play all Gilfords gain three hundred attack and defense points and when one of them destroys a monster I draw a card!" Tokuha nodded, and then pointed to one of his two remaining set cards, the one that set directly to Appropriate's right.

"Continuous trap card activates. Appropriation Reversal. This card can only be activated when I have Appropriate in play. For as long as this card is active each of us draws one card when a card is activated, regardless of our wishes. So therefore you draw one card and I draw three." The two siblings drew the necessary cards.

_'Okay, time to think this through. He's got his three thousand point monster in play, and his two face-up continuous traps. If I play anything at all he'll draw three more cards, but in exchange I draw a new card as well. I've got a few options here considering that combo and that it has reduced his number of set cards to one. But what to choose?'_ The options were big, so she had to think it through. Haphazard attacks would be worthless.

On the one hand she could attempt to risk the set card and defeat Black Luster Soldier in battle. On another she could attempt to use his Appropriation Reversal to draw until she had a way of eliminating Black Luster Soldier, despite the risk of giving her brother a large number of cards to work with. Her last option was to attempt to use the combo to deck her brother out, but that didn't seem to likely to happen.

_'In this case, conservation is key! The fewer cards in his hand the better, so the fewer cards I use this turn the better. I'll just have to crush Black Luster Soldier with a minimalist approach.'_ She breathed out, focusing herself to think her move through.

Kirani looked at the four cards she was holding. She knew each of their effects by heart, knew the combos that her deck could form. However, there was no way she could know what that final set card was. _'No, no holding back. I can think while I fight, it's the way I duel and it's the way Drake duels. I'm not like Dalin or Tokuha, if I try to think out my opponent's moves ahead of time I'll most likely fail. So it's best just to grasp the flow of the duel and go from there.'_

"Magical Well activates! I now add one magic card from my deck to my hand which cannot be activated or set during this turn!" She flipped through her deck until she found the card, then reshuffled and returned her deck to position. Immediately afterwards she drew one card and Tokuha drew three.

"Now I activate Magic Purge, removing all floating effects from the field! That means I can activate my chosen card!" There was a flash of light across their field, then it returned to normal. Tokuha's two trap cards glowed, and they drew new cards again. Kirani now had five cards in hand while Tokuha had fifteen.

"Activate magic card, Enter the Storm! I pay my one thousand life points to special summon out Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) as if three monsters were tributed for him. So, Raigeki Blade activates!" Her key monster descended as a bolt of lightning, and a secondary bolt shot from the darkness above and blew away Black Luster Soldier. (KLP: 3400)

She drew again, keeping herself at five cards in hand, and Tokuha also drew. She kept her focus, even though she knew that at this pace he'd start his turn with over twenty cards in his hand. That didn't matter though. "Eye of the Storm! Since Gilford is in play I'll blow up your magic and trap cards!"

Another bolt of lightning shot from the dark sky above their heads, this one blasting apart the two face-up traps and the single set card. Yet because those cards resolved first, they drew new cards, putting Tokuha over twenty just like she had expected. _'Alright, I've got a clear field for attack now.'_

"Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) in attack mode!" She slapped the monster down and grabbed her two new cards as quickly as she could. There was no slowing down, not yet. Not until she had dragged his life points down a notch.

"Lightning Summon activates! It lets me normal summon once again this turn, so I summon Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior(1900/1600)!" Her newest monster was similar to Gilford the Lightning, only a little shorter. The right half of his face appeared to be metal, with a glowing red eye in place. His right leg also appeared to be mechanical, as was his left arm.

"Now, Lightning Edge powers up each of my Gilfords by three hundred attack and defense points!" Electricity crackled over the three warriors' muscles, granting them newer and greater powers. Gilford the Lightning rose to thirty-one hundred, Gilford of Thunder to twenty-one hundred, and Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior to twenty-two hundred.

Tokuha stood still, a smile on his face as if awaiting the attack. "I'll wipe that smug look off your face! Gilford of Thunder and Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior each attack you directly!"

Gilford of Thunder slashes his sword across Tokuha's chest, but the duelist barely even budged. Then Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior's left hand transformed into a shimmering sword of energy, which he promptly also attacked with. "What do you make of that big brother?" (TLP: 5300)

"It was an impressive play; surely you're stronger than Satsuki and Miyuki by an obvious margin. Sadly I received training from the greatest duelist to walk the earth, and there is no person alive today that can match me, not since his death. You cannot defeat me little sister." The calm look on his face was absolutely infuriating to Kirani.

"We'll see about that you arrogant ass. I place two cards face down to defend my monsters and end my turn!" She took a moment to catch her breath, and then awaited her brother's draw and his move. She was extremely wary, because when he drew he'd have twenty-two cards in his hand, which was normally roughly half a person's deck.

Tokuha's duel vest delivered him his next card, and he added it to his hand. Surprisingly he didn't look the least bit uncomfortable holding so many cards in one hand. He was obviously practiced at holding that great a number of cards. "Perhaps I should simply end the duel this turn. I could use Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End on you again I suppose, but you've defeated it before."

He scanned his hand, and then seemed to make up his mind. "Let's begin. Lion's Share is a magic card that takes our life points, adds them together, and then gives me three quarters of that total and you one quarter." (TLP: 6525, KLP: 2175)

"I set three cards face down and activate Emergency Provisions on them. They were of course my three A Second Chance magic cards." He seemed amused that instead of looking worried, Kirani seemed completely confident. He would have to strip his sister of that confidence. (TLP: 9525)

Tokuha selected three more of his cards and placed them onto his duel disk. Then he held up another card from his hand. "I activate Emergency Sustenance, which can only be activated if Emergency Provisions is in the grave. I may sacrifice magic and traps on my field to gain fifteen hundred life points per card. I sacrifice all three." (TLP: 14025)

He picked up the three tributed cards and flashed them to Kirani, not that she hadn't known what they were before. "Of course, you sacrificed your three Repayment of Losses cards to Emergency Sustenance in order to draw cards to replace them as you gained life points. Effective, but predictable."

She tapped a finger against her temple, looking just as confident as ever. "Not only that, but I'd bet my life on the fact that you'll remove you're a Second Chance cards next, and then find a way to reuse one set or the other once again."

"That's an impressive prediction, and quite accurate as well. I remove all three of my A Second Chance magic cards from the grave in order to draw two cards for each one removed. That's six total of course." He drew the six cards in one sweep, jumping his hand back up to twenty-two cards.

"Now I activate Burial from a Different Dimension which allows me to place removed from play cards back into my cemetery. I move those three magic cards into my graveyard, and then I remove them from play again to draw six more cards." Again he drew a clump of cards, amazingly managing to hold all twenty-seven easily.

Tokuha selected three cards from his hand, keeping two of them concealed while showing the third remaining card. "I activate Magic Shard Excavation, discarding Light Essence and Dark Essence from my hand to let me pick up a magic card from my grave." (TLP: 15025)

"And then you choose to pick up your Burial from a Different Dimension magic card, is that right?" Tokuha nodded and took the named card out of his graveyard. Then he activated it and slid his three removed from play magic cards back into his cemetery.

"Yet again I'll remove my three A Second Chance magic cards to draw six cards. At this point you should understand that I have all the cards necessary to defeat you. Or has that not fully occurred to you yet?" Kirani shrugged, grinning like crazy regardless of the fact that her brother was holding over thirty cards in his hand.

"I'm willing to accept that I suppose. Of course big brother, what I have noticed about your deck is pretty simple. It's a massive draw engine deck that allows you to swiftly get the cards you need into the grave and into your hand to summon your messengers. Yet at the same time being such a huge draw engine means that it's lighter in the area of some other cards. But even if you had those cards, I still wouldn't be worried. There's just no point in it. I'm exceptional as a duelist, and so are you. I admit that, but I won't back down no matter what!" Tokuha sighed and folded his hand up, looking slightly annoyed.

"Exceptional you say? Let me explain the nature of my abilities by explaining the nature of duelists in levels. Just as there are tiers of divine monsters, there are tiers for duelists. The first level of a real duelist would simply be called Duelist Class. This is the average type that you and I would consider an amateur, but still someone who knows how to play the game." He held up one finger, counting it off as he spoke. He sounded oddly like a teacher.

"A step above that is the Middle Duelist Class. Obviously these are those duelists transitioning from being amateurs to being professionals. The third group is the High Duelist Class, the actual professional duelists, those people who are usually able to get to later rounds of national and international tournaments." He ticked off two fingers, and closed his eyes, looking for all the world like he was lecturing a class.

"Standing above the High Duelist Class is the True Duelist Class, those who are able to use their own willpower to influence their draws, these are people who are truly powerful opponents. Most of your friends fall into this category. Yet they are not the epitome of dueling. One step over them is the Genius Duelist Class, those who are able to influence their draws consistently and have some brilliant talent that places them above others. A duelist such as yourself and your lover Daisuke Ihachi fall into this category, as would someone such as Yugi Motou." To her surprise he lowered his hands and opened his eyes, looking even more serious than he had previously.

"Even though to even the True Duelist Class the Genius Class would appear to be the best, it is not. There are two distinct classes above them. Standing above the Genius Class is the Perfect Duelist Class. These are people with similar abilities to the Genius Duelist Class but are able to accurately predict their opponent's moves as well as their own ahead of time and can formulate counter strategies. These are duelists who never bluff and stand so far above other duelists that they are seemingly invincible. I know of only one current example of this class of duelist, and that is Dalin Imaki Sumatin." Kirani felt her heart pounding in her chest as he approached the final class. If Dalin wasn't the highest class of duelist, what could possibly be greater?

"The final and supreme class of duelists, the one that vastly surpasses the others, is that of the God Duelist Class. Any duelist who rises to this level has abilities beyond even a Perfect Duelist, and a duelist in this group stands above the Perfect Duelist in the same way that the Perfect Duelist stands above others. As a duelist who is invincible to all other classes, impossible to defeat. The conditions for becoming such a duelist are impossible to tell. The last God Duelist was my teacher, and therefore I am the one and only current God Class Duelist, capable of defeating any opponent. I cannot lose to anyone below my level, and no single person is in my level. Now do you understand what you are up against?"

Kirani closed her eyes, imagining Tokuha saying those words to Drake, or to Dalin. She held her head up high and opened her eyes, looking straight into her brother's eyes. "So you're saying that defeating you is impossible, is that it?"

"That's correct. Only another God Class Duelist can defeat me, and there aren't any others. You should be proud that you have reached the achievement of becoming a Genius Class Duelist, so far above almost all other duelists. But against me, even a Perfect Class Duelist such as Dalin Imaki Sumatin would be unable to win." He met her gaze with his own steady one, expecting some sort of response from her except for what he actually got.

Kirani laughed. "Well then, that's good to know. Here I was thinking you would be a powerful opponent, but now I know the truth. Impossible you say? Any person who says 'It is impossible' is a person who doesn't understand anything about other human beings! There's nothing impossible, not for me, and not for anyone else! So if you're so absolutely convinced you can't lose, then prove it already and stop talking about it!"

Tokuha narrowed his eyes, his mouth also tightening. He took a deep breath, calming himself steadily. "It has been years since last I saw you, so I had forgotten how infuriatingly naïve and idealistic you could be. I've been intending to show you what it means to carry the burden of being a Kajika, and I shall do so by defeating you!"

He unfolded his thirty-one card hand, his resolve to defeat his sister once again at its fullest. Yet at the same time he was facing his sister who also had full resolve to defeat him. He started to reach for one card, and then paused. _'My resolve to defeat her is strong; her resolve to defeat me is stronger. Yet even though she cannot win, even though she perhaps knows that, she is willing to fight. And with what I know, I cannot use this method to defeat her.'_

"I have chosen this route to defeating you, I shall defeat you with the power of heaven itself. That is the message I will bring it you. I activate Cheerful Coffin, and discard Light Essence, Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000) and Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End(3000/2500)!" He shoved the named cards into his graveyard, and was enveloped in light from the effect of his essence monster. (TLP: 15525)

"You…discarded Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End? But…why?" Tokuha reached for one of his other cards, and met his sister's eyes as he did so.

"Because I know what you know, and I will not harm the future. I play Cyclone, targeting your left face down card." Kirani stood strong as her Storm Barrier was blown away. She still had her remaining face down card, and she knew something he didn't.

"You are assuming that I don't know what your face down card is. Yes, I am aware that your remaining face down card is also Lightning Rod, which you intended to use to end my turn just as you did previously. That is why I didn't choose it with Cyclone." Kirani's eyes widened, not quite sure she believed what he had just said. Yet the proof was there, and her face down card was Lightning Rod.

"I already told you little sister, I am a God Class Duelist, and I cannot be defeated. Activate magic card, Spell Reproduction. I discard two magic cards from my hand to pick up a magic card from my grave." He slid three cards into the grave, and then accepted another that was returned to him.

"Now I activate my returned card, Cyclone! I will use it to destroy Lightning Edge this time, which might have restricted my assault." Her continuous magic card was shattered, and her three Gilfords lost some of their attack points.

He gripped one of his twenty-three remaining cards, and slapped it down onto his duel vest. As he did so two cards slid out of his graveyard and into his hand. "I remove Light Essence and Dark Essence in order to bring you a message straight from the heavens that the Kajika Family has long served! The lesson of the burden that we bear as those who protect the eternal balance of the universe!"

Bright light engulfed his field, and both siblings felt a great warmth fill their veins as the new monster touched down on the field. The source of the glow became apparent. It was a brilliant angelic figure, a woman in glowing armor. "Meet the third of the messengers, third of the Chaos Gods! Chaos Seraphim-Envoy of Heaven(2500/3000)!"

The angel's eyes touched Kirani, and she felt a surprising burst of warmth from it. She didn't understand it, but she felt stronger just from its presence. But she had never heard of anything like this before. "Envoy of…Heaven?"

"That is correct, the third of the Chaos Gods, and one of a different type. Black Luster Soldier is the beginning, and perhaps the weakest of the Chaos Gods. Chaos Emperor Dragon has perhaps the most devastating ability, but without that ability it is nothing. It is a force of destruction and nothing more. Chaos Seraphim on the other hand…" He paused, looking up at his mighty monster.

"Chaos Seraphim is a beacon of light, a messenger of hope. She brings with her the light of heaven to cleanse the darkness. In this case, she comes to grant you the light of truth, to reveal to you the truth of what it means to be a member of this family. She will do so by activating her first effect, which fills my field with tokens." Each of the four remaining spaces on Tokuha's field started glowing, and massive shapes formed.

Kirani braced herself at the sight of them, especially when she saw their stats. This wouldn't be easy. "Chaos Seraphim fills my field with Heaven Avenger tokens(3000/0). When one is destroyed in battle I gain one thousand life points."

The four monsters were tall golden armored male angels, each of whom held a large ornate sword in one hand. They all gathered in front of Chaos Seraphim, looking at Kirani with their stern forbidding faces. "Four tokens with three thousand attack points…that's impressive."

"Yes, it is. Heaven Avenger number one, attack Gilford the Lightning!" Kirani thrust out her hand, triggering her set Lightning Rod trap card just as the holy angel shattered Gilford's sword in one blow and slew her key monster. (KLP: 2175)

Her life points were protected, but not forever. "Heaven Avenger number two, attack Gilford of Thunder!" It crossed the field and cut Gilford of Thunder in half before the monster even had a chance to try and raise its sword to defend itself. (KLP: 2175)

"Heaven Avenger number three, destroys Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior!" In half an instant the third of the avengers had its sword stabbed deep into the half machine's chest. But to the avenger's surprise the mechanical warrior gripped the blade and pulled it farther into its body.

Kirani grinned, shaking off the despair that had been creeping up on her. "When Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior is destroyed I can choose an effect based on what type of card destroyed him. Since he was destroyed in battle I now get to destroy one monster in play, and if my guess is right this will work. So I destroy Chaos Seraphim!"

Gilford the Cybernetic Warrior detonated and the wave of flame swept over all four Heaven Avengers as well as Chaos Seraphim. The fire vanished, leaving Tokuha's field clear. "Yeah, it was like I guessed. When Chaos Seraphim falls, so do the avengers."

"Very well thought out. Though I can't finish you this turn, mark my words I will defeat you. I activate Infinite Cards which removes the limit to our hand size. Then I set the card faces face down." The four cards appeared on his field in front of him.

"Lastly I activate Chaos Rebirth. This magic card allows me to special summon a dark or light type monster from my graveyard regardless of its normal summoning requirements. Chaos Seraphim-Envoy of Heaven returns, as do her Heaven Avengers!" Kirani frowned as the female angel and her four soldiers formed on the field, looking eager to attack her.

With a little nod of the head to her, Tokuha's turn was done. That meant Kirani was going to have to play tough if she was going to survive and defeat him. "Watch and learn big brother. Draw!"

She picked up the card, and then immediately fitted it into her duel disk. "Cyclone! I'll use it to target the card you have face down on the far right!"

A small tornado swirled out of her card and collided with the face down, which shook under the pressure. Finally it buckled and was forced up, briefly revealing a Mirror Force before it shattered. Tokuha smiled. "Excellent guess. But I still have two remaining face down cards."

"Let's see how long that lasts. Monster Reborn, call back Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to the field!" A spot on her field started glowing, and when the glow vanished the muscular form of Gilford the Lightning was once again standing there. He hefted his sword and pointed it at Chaos Seraphim.

"Looks like he wants a bit of vengeance, and he'll get it soon enough. To start off with I'll activate Treasure of Slashing Life to draw until I'm holding five cards. In five turns I have to discard my hand though." Since that was the last card in her hand she drew the full five.

Tokuha still kept smiling. "That card's drawback will never activate, as this duel won't last five more turns. But please, continue."

"Oh I will! I play Lightning Bolt, which lets me destroy one card on the opponent's field! I choose to destroy Chaos Seraphim in order to take out all of your monsters!" A bolt of lightning shrieked down from the sky, aiming at the female angel.

Right before it hit a wall of purple smoke formed over Chaos Seraphim's head. The lightning fizzled out against that wall of smoke, and it failed. "My face down counter trap Magic Jammer is a well known card that for a cost of one card from my hand can negate any magic card."

"I thought you might have something like that, so I saved this for after it! The magic card Roar of Thunder, which requires I sacrifice a Gilford the Lightning!" A column of pure energy engulfed Gilford the Lighting, filling the field with its glow. Even Tokuha and his five angels seemed impressed by the power being displayed.

"By sacrificing Gilford the Lightning I am allowed to speed up time, evolving him to his highest form! Behold the might of Gilford the Lightning at his truest mastery of the storm. Gilford, Deity of Thunder and Lightning(3600/2400)!" The energy column exploded outwards to unveil the newly summoned monster.

Where Gilford the Lightning had stood over seven feet in height, the new monster stood over twelve feet in height. Where Gilford's armor had been a bluish-silver, this monster's was a brilliant gold. And where Gilford had shown no outward signs over his mastery of lightning, this monster was simply crackling with electricity, the entire body infused with it. "When summoned my deity can choose to destroy magic and trap cards, or monsters. So I choose to destroy all magic and trap cards on your field and in your hand!"

A massive wave of lightning shot across the field, blowing apart the single remaining set card, Infinite Cards, and all but six cards in her brother's hand. "Gilford, Deity of Thunder and Lightning, attack Chaos Seraphim!"

Her deity didn't even move, instead one of those streams of lightning that crackled about his body jumped off of him and towards the Seraphim. At the last second however one of the Heaven Avengers jumped in the way and was blown apart. "If a Heaven Avenger token is in play and the opponent attacks my Chaos Seraphim the attack is automatically redirected to the Heaven Avenger." (TLP: 15925)

"Fine by me. I set one card face down and end my turn!" She slid the card into her duel disk and smirked, feeling ready to take on the world. Her brother claimed to be a God Class Duelist, but the advantage was now hers.

Tokuha's duel vest beeped and slid a card out for him to take, which he did. "Allow me to inform you that although you have destroyed most of my hand, the only reason I was able to gain such a large hand is because of the difference in our caliber. A duelist of a higher class would have a will strong enough to slow me down. The only reason you survived my first assault was because of your strong will as a Genius Class Duelist."

"Blabber is all I here, and I'm going to undo you now! Reverse card open, Raigeki Break! By discarding this Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) from my hand I can destroy one card on the field. I'm choosing my Lightning Rod!" Tokuha's eyes widened as the trap card exploded into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Since Lightning Rod was just destroyed by something other than its own effect I'll discard the last card in my hand in order to end your turn immediately!" Tokuha's duel vest beeped again, indicating to him that his turn was done and his hand size was too high. He frowned and discarded one card into the grave.

"Very impressive. Yet even though you try your hardest, it won't be enough to let you win this duel. It's a pity, but it is the truth. Come out me with all the power you like, it won't make any difference in the end." Kirani rolled her eyes and drew.

"Big brother, I don't care if you are some God Class Duelist or even if there is such a thing. No matter how invincible you say you are I'm still going to win this duel, so just watch me. Payment of Debt, and I remove Gilford of Thunder from the grave to draw three cards!" She drew three more times, giving her a hand half her brother's size.

"Graceful Charity! I'm sure you know its effect." An angel appeared over her head and light rained down on her duel disk. She drew three cards according to the effect, and then held out two cards for the angel to take. The angel accepted them and flew into the graveyard.

"I'll bring you down right now brother; bring you to your knees! I activate the rare and powerful magic card Raigeki! This will destroy every monster on your field!" A massive bolt of lightning struck Chaos Seraphim and the Heaven Avengers, vaporizing them almost instantly and leaving Tokuha's field completely empty.

To her surprise he still seemed completely calm. But she wasn't going to let him remain so calm, no chance. "If you think I'm done, think again. Renewal of Triplets allows me to summon monster from my grave who have the same name if there are three total, which means I special summon all three Gilford the Lightnings(2800/1400 X3) back to the field!"

Kirani now had four mighty warriors facing Tokuha down, and yet still he didn't look bothered. She had twelve thousand attack points worth of power ready to attack his entirely empty field, yet there was no reaction. "Ultimate Lightning Assault!"

The four warriors touched their swords together and a stream of lightning exploded from the tip. It was several feet wide and so bright that looking directly at it was impossible. Kirani let out a deep breath as the wave of lightning crashed into her brother. "For a second there I was worried he had a trap in the grave or something."

"Not precisely, instead I used an old fashioned method. I discard the three Kuribohs that I was holding to negate three of those instances of damage." She gasped as Tokuha's body was revealed, unharmed, and he was holding up three Kuribohs cards. Together they had reduced the damage she inflicted to almost nothing. (TLP: 13125)

She took a second to gather her wits, and then placed the last card in her hand onto the field. "Alright Tokuha, next turn I'll finish you off."

His lips quirked up in an odd looking smile. Perhaps it was just odd because he didn't normally smile. "I discard a monster last turn, I might add. So now I have two monsters in my hand and two magic cards. They will be your end."

Tokuha flipped around one of the two cards, and the very familiar grinning Pot of Greed was revealed. "I draw two cards. Now I activate Research on the Pot of Greed to draw an additional two cards. Then I activate Ancient Greed, which activates if I have a Pot of Greed in the cemetery and allows me to draw three cards."

Just like that he was up to eight cards, just like he always did as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "I activate Monster Reincarnation, discarding Watapon(300/200) in order to move a monster from my cemetery to my hand."

He held up Chaos Seraphim, and then moved on to a different card. "I activate Double Spell, discarding Card Destruction in order to activate a magic card from your grave. I choose to activate Cyclone and destroy your face down card."

Her face down card was blown away, leaving her with just her four monsters. Luckily for her they were powerful monsters. "I remove Watapon and Kuriboh from the grave to special summon Chaos Seraphim-Envoy of Heaven(2500/3000) back to the field."

The glowing female angel formed, and then the four zones around her were filled with the masculine angelic forms of the Heaven Avenger tokens(3000/0). "Although that would seem to not be enough, it will defeat you. I activate Muka Muka Energy, a continuous magic card that grants all of my monsters two hundred additional attack points for every card in my hand."

He held up three cards, and each of his monsters shot up by six hundred points. "Heaven Avenger(3600/0) number one, attack Deity of Thunder and Lightning!" The two monsters clashed, their swords cutting into each other's bodies, and both were destroyed. (TLP: 14125)

"Heaven Avenger number two, number three, and number four will dispatch your Gilford the Lightnings!" Kirani felt her world falling out from under her, all her words becoming useless at the sight of the four holy avengers slashing through her Gilfords like they weren't even there. (KLP: 0)

Kirani fell to her knees, breathing heavily, dizziness catching up to her now that the duel was over. Several feet away her brother was finishing shuffling up his deck and replacing his folded up duel vest into a bag. "That was an excellent duel little sister. But now your sisters and I must leave. You should know by now that the end is coming whether you like it or not, and it is our duty to use the Pillars of Creation, whether they like it or not, to determine the fate of the universe and preserve its balance."

He walked past her, and then stopped a few feet away. Sighing he reached into his pocket, plucked something out of it, and then tossed it at Kirani. She caught it without thinking, and looked down to see a small gray box. "When we searched the house for signs of where you had gone I found that hidden in his desk drawer."

She flipped it open and gasped at what she saw. She hadn't know…she couldn't have known. Now that she did know, she felt even worse than she had before. Tokuha didn't look at her as he spoke. "Perhaps when you see him next, you should give him an answer. Perhaps then you can tell him the two reasons you left him. Us…and the reason you're sick."

Kirani felt tears welling up in her eyes just looking at the small silver ring with a little diamond set in it. She knew what it was, the only thing it could possibly be. "He was going to ask me…and then I did this. I'm sorry Drake…I'm so sorry."

Tokuha walked to the door, and then stopped and looked back again. "Take care of your child, she is the future of the Kajika family. That is why we, the Kajika Family, have this duty. To preserve the balance, to protect the universe, so that people can get married, have children, and grow old. That's why we have the duty Kirani, which is the burden of the Kajika Family. To make sure that there is a future for such things to occur in. Maybe now that you know that, you can understand me a little better, and understand the rest of us."

Kirani lifted her head and felt herself burning with determination again. "Tokuha! Wait…I'm…I'm coming with you. I'll accept my position in the Kajika Family. I just want to make this world safe for those things to happen, even if it means my own sacrifice. And if nothing else, I want to be at his side…if the world ends."

Tokuha gave her one of his rare true smiles, and extended his hand. "Then I welcome you back into the Kajika Family."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I'd say that I was an impressive display from Kirani and from Tokuha. Anybody else notice that the person with the most big duels next to Dark Drake was Kirani? That's a change of pace.

_Next Time: All the pieces are moving closer together as the timer begins to tick. Yet not every piece has reached its initial conclusion. Together Ryu and Pegasus must finish their battle with Zane and discover the true secret of Blood. Or die trying._

_See it all in, Blood for Blood!_


	26. Blood for Blood

Author's Note: After quite a handful of chapters we return to Ryu, Pegasus, and Zane.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Blood for Blood**

_Ryu then gave a nod to Pegasus, who drew for the turn. "Ah yes, perfect. I'll discard another card to bring out the second Blue Eyes Toon Dragon(3000/2500) and then I'll summon on my own a Toon Masked Sorcerer(900/1400)."_

_Two more cartoon monsters popped out of the pages of the Cartoonist, completely filling all five of Pegasus' monster zones. "Since toons are special summons, I'll tribute Toon Masked Sorcerer to summon Toon Summoned Skull(2500/1200)!"_

_A crazed cartoon version of the demon monster popped out of the pages of the Cartoonist, joining the other monsters that he had already gathered. "Like my other monsters it cannot attack this turn. However, my first two toons can and will!"_

_A beam of white light shot from the toon dragon's mouth, while two beams of red energy shot from the hands of the elves. Zane sneered and snapped one arm out to his right, causing the trap that was there to reveal itself. "Shield of Blood! By sacrificing a Blood Puppet while being attacked directly I can negate that attack!"_

_Two of the Blood Puppets threw themselves in the way of the attack, detonating into a shower of blood that rained over the field. Pegasus frowned, having burned his hand in that turn, just like Ryu had. "Very well, I end my turn." (PLP: 3500)_

_"Why did your life points go down? I didn't do anything to damage you." The game creator sighed, looking very bored as he explained._

_"As long as Toon World is in play, which it is with my Cartoonist in play, I can have my toons attack directly. But some of the stronger ones, like Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, require a five hundred life point cost to attack. That's what happened." Zane's eyes widened as he contemplated receiving a direct attack from each of those toons. He was lucky to have his trap card._

_Zane drew, but despite the fact that he held only one card in his hand he seemed supremely confident. "Let's start this turn off like clockwork! Blood Spear!" Ryu groaned as once again he was covered in blood. (RLP: 1200)_

_He smirked, taking a brief glance down at his set card. "I'm going to turn this duel supremely in my favor by bringing down all of your paltry defenses. And I'll do it with one card alone. Reveal set card, Tribute of Blood!"_

The Blood Puppets shivered and shook, and then a large group of them went flying at Pegasus and Ryu's monsters. "Tribute of Blood allows me to sacrifice Blood Puppet tokens to destroy monsters on your field, so I sacrifice seven to blow away everything you've got!"

One by one the monsters on their field shattered into a million pieces, leaving them only with the few face down cards they had. "Heh, that was too easy. I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Ryu drew and smirked at the card he had drawn. "Looks like you made a bit of a mistake. I'll prove it to you by playing Monster Reincarnation, discarding one card from my hand to pick up the Emerald Dragon in my grave."

He held up the chosen monster and moved to place another card on his duel disk. "I summon Emerald Paladin(1300/200) to the field, and when he's normal summoned I can special summon Emerald Dragon(2400/1400) from my hand to my field!"

A dragon with green skin flew down onto the field and let out a ferocious roar. It was accompanied by a much smaller warrior who was wearing emerald green armor. "Now I union Emerald Paladin to Emerald Dragon, increase my Emerald Dragon's attack by three hundred and giving it a trample ability!"

Emerald Paladin jumped up onto Emerald Dragon's back, and the dragon roared in triumph as its attack points pumped up by three hundred. Then it lowered its head to gaze at the set monster on Zane's field. "I see what you want Emerald Dragon, so go get it! Emerald Burst Stream!"

The dragon peppered the face down defense monster with a wave of green flame. But as it was burned away Ryu noticed that Zane didn't look bothered. In fact he looked delighted, which led Ryu to one conclusion. _'A destruction effect!'_

"Heh, your eyes say you see what's coming. Yeah, the monster your big old dragon killed was Blood Gatherer(700/1200). When he's destroyed in battle I can produce a number of Blood Puppet tokens equal to the total level of the monster that killed it. So I get six more tokens!" Six more of the little floating crimson puppets appeared, almost completely replacing the monsters Zane had previously sacrificed.

Ryu ground his teeth together, ready to just pound that jerk in the face, until he realized something was amiss. "Hey wait a second! Emerald Dragon gains a trample effect from Emerald Paladin, so you should have lost twelve hundred life points!"

To his surprise Pegasus shook his head. "Sorry Ryu-boy, as long as Shield of Blood is in play the life point damage from battle with monsters with 'blood' in their name is reduced to zero."

Knowing that there was nothing else his dueling partner could do, Pegasus drew for the start of his turn. He sighed dramatically and placed the card face down. "Oh woe is unto me! So little that I can do…and my partner is hopelessly reckless as well! It seems all I can do is end my turn!"

The dragon user kept his face blank, even though he realized that Pegasus was warning him against being reckless. Zane flicked his eyes between the two, considering what hidden meanings that declaration might have had. "I suppose I shouldn't worry what you two try and say, since I can't lose to you two."

He added a card to his hand, and pointed to one of the remaining Blood Puppets. "I sacrifice a Blood Puppet to deal even more damage to the weak dragon punk. Blood Spear!"

To Zane's surprise absolutely nothing happened. He held up his duel disk and shook it, looking frustrated. Pegasus chuckled and gestured broadly over his field, indicating his now face up trap card. "My continuous trap card Mask of Restrict prevents monsters from being sacrificed for any purpose. Poor boy."

"Fine! If I can't sacrifice any of my Blood Puppets I'll just set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Zane wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, because he knew what was going to happen shortly.

Ryu chuckled after he drew. He checked the card, and then pointed at Zane's set monster. "Alright Emerald Dragon, attack that face down monster with your Emerald Burst Stream!" An explosion of green flame engulfed the set monster which splattered apart under the force.

"I throw one card face down and pass the turn to Pegasus." He gave a thumbs up to the dueling master, who smiled happily as he drew. As soon as he saw the card he put a hand to his mouth and giggled like a little girl.

"I play Monster Reborn to special summon Bloodstone Dragon(2900/1500). This cuddly little monster will attack your life points directly!" Zane was almost immediately swallowed up by a huge blaze of flame from the mouth of the dark skinned dragon. The intense heat started to melt the ground and Zane's body was nowhere to be seen.

Pegasus sighed dramatically and tapped a button on his duel disk. "I activate Bloodstone Dragon's effect, paying fifteen hundred life points to double the damage it deals. So instead of dealing you twenty-nine hundred damage, it will deal you fifty-eight hundred damage, enough to defeat you." (PLP: 2000)

The flames died down, revealing at last Zane's body, which was slightly charred from the intense attack. But as they watched his skin healed up, empowered by the second stage of Blood within him. "Yes…strong, the power of Second Level Blood is extraordinary!" (ZLP: 1100)

Pegasus and Ryu shared a look, each one thinking the same thing as they saw his life points and his field. Ryu decided to articulate it after he was certain that even Zane's magic and trap cards were gone, leaving only his Blood Puppets. "You sacrificed your three cards with Emergency Provisions to give yourself three thousand life points before you took the attack. So you got hit with fifty-eight hundred damage while you had sixty-nine hundred life points."

"Yes, that's right. Although I had to give up my life restoring trap cards and my shield it was worth it to stay in the game. And since there are no more monsters on your field there isn't anything else that you can do." He brushed some dust off his now fully healed arms and then folded them across his chest.

Pegasus brushed some stray hair out of his eyes and shrugged at Ryu. "I suppose that's all I can do. Really it's a pity, I was hoping to do more this turn, but if that's all then that's all. Your turn Zaney-boy."

Zane grimaced as he drew, glaring heatedly at Pegasus. "You're an annoying man, did you know that?"

"Yes, I had been told that before, but nobody has ever bothered to offer me proof." Pegasus smiled in that same self-amused way that he always did, and Zane felt his blood boil even further.

Watching Pegasus' taunting manner from the outside Ryu could only feel glad that he wasn't on the receiving end this time. _'There's no way that Zane can beat Pegasus. I'm not sure that I could beat Zane, but with Pegasus on my side the game is already decided. After all, only Yugi Moto has ever beaten Pegasus.'_

Ryu felt his heart pounding in his chest for some strange reason despite his confidence. Perhaps it was the fact that Zane's eyes were growing redder by the minute, or the fact that he seemed to be overloading with power, but either way the situation felt…wrong. _'Come on, two on one with Pegasus on my side…it'll be over soon. No amount of power can change that.'_

Zane raised the card out level to his chest and sneered at them as his body was engulfed in a red aura. "The full power of Second Level Blood is really starting to kick in, and it even boosts my dueling capability. Watch, I play Blood Payment!"

Pegasus turned to Ryu and explained. "Blood Payment costs a thousand life points, but it lets the user draw five cards. I often feel that despite its rarity it was too powerful, so I eventually stopped its production and released cards to substitute. Unfortunately it appears it didn't do much for us." (ZLP: 100)

Next Zane drew his five cards and fitted two of them into his duel disc. "First off I activate the magic card Buffer Removal, which will remove any limitation on a single type of target for this turn. Can you guess what my target is?"

Ryu gritted his teeth when he began to understand. "You'll remove the limitation on the Blood Puppets so you can tribute multiple ones during your turn. I bet your second card will get rid of Mask of Restrict so you can start your tributing."

"Right you are! My second card is Heavy Storm which you should both know destroys all magic and trap cards in play! Say goodbye to all of your life points!" A heavy gust of wind swarmed over the field, shaking their cards up. Pegasus closed his one good eye and dropped his head slightly.

"It's a pity, it really is. I thought I could enjoy this duel a bit more, but I suppose that's not an option. In this case I'm going to have bow out and let my trusted companion continue in my place." Even Ryu couldn't believe his ears. He knew Pegasus said that he had potential, but what did he mean that he was going to let Ryu handle it?

"I activate my trap card Damage Paralysis. This negates all effect damage to one target for the duration of the turn and lets that player draw a card. So I think I'll prevent Ryu from taking any effect damage this turn." Pegasus smiled with his usual humor even as Ryu ran up to him, looking furious.

"You're the better duelist; you're the one who created the freaking game! I'm not the one who can beat this guy, it's you! Why would you place it on me to beat him? Are you insane?" Pegasus placed a hand on the younger duelist's shoulder and shook his head, still smiling that same way.

"Ryu, I trust you completely to defeat Zane. In the coming battles it won't be me who is able to step up to the challenge, but rather you. If you keep relying on others then there's no way you can step up to that challenge, so I'll force you to accept that burden by stepping down." Zane snorted and rolled his eyes at the display.

"I'll get this over with and get Pegasus out of the way by tributing ten of my Blood Puppets. Blood Spear Ten Fold!" Pegasus shoved Ryu aside and stood tall and proud as one by one the ten Blood Puppets slammed into his body. Almost in slow motion he stumbled backwards and then collapsed. (PLP: 0)

Zane chuckled and flipped around one of his three remaining cards. "Since I did damage this turn I'll play Blood Transfusion. This increases my life points by the amount of damage I dealt. That means two thousand life points for me." (ZLP: 2100)

"Last but not least I'll set my remaining cards down on the field. And now that Pegasus is out of the way, this duel won't last more than a few turns total. Against me, there's no way you can win." Ryu didn't respond, instead he looked at Pegasus' fallen body.

It was just like his double duel with Autumn against Taichi. At that time he had been protected as well in a very similar fashion with trust placed in him to win. _'Yet I couldn't win, despite my desire to. I couldn't pull off victory against Taichi. This time I can't let the outcome be the same!'_

"Zane, don't count your chickens quite yet, because nothing has hatched so far! First I draw one card from Damage Paralysis! Then I draw one card for the start of my turn!" He drew two cards in quick procession. He snapped them up in front of his eyes to decide on his next move. There couldn't be any screw ups at this juncture.

"Ha, I'll crush you faster than even you thought! Activate trap card, Blood Rage! This forces one monster on your field to attack if I have a monster with 'blood' in its name under my control. Emerald Dragon now attacks me!" The green skinned beast opened its jaws wide and unleashed that familiar stream of emerald flame at Zane.

"Reverse card open! Death Cylinder destroys the attacking monster and deals one thousand damage to the opponent's life points!" Emerald Dragon tilted its head back and screamed as its body was blown apart, spraying scales at Ryu. He defended himself with his arms, but it didn't change the damage. (RLP: 200)

"Since Emerald Dragon was destroyed I now special summon Emerald Paladin(1300/200) to the field in defense mode!" The green armored warrior jumped out of the flames and landed in a crouch on the field. He wrapped his arm around himself in a vain effort for protection, which would prove even more worthless considering his weak defense.

Without another pause Ryu slid one of his two cards into the graveyard. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!"

He snapped up another two cards, and after a quick glance slid one of them into his duel disk. "One card face down, and end turn!"

Zane smirked as he drew, his red aura expanding even farther. Ryu noticed that he looked slightly crazed with his eyes glowing red. "I sacrifice another Blood Puppet! Blood Spear to end it!"

Calmly Ryu extend one hand and the Blood Puppet that came flying towards him shattered a few feet away, doing no damage. "My face down Hallowed Life Barrier lets me discard one card from my hand to negate all life point damage to me this turn."

He discard one of the two cards he was holding, and smirked at Zane. "You're so cocky Ryu, I'll prove that you're weak! Prince of Blood(1700/1500) is summoned, and he gains fifty attack points for every Blood Puppet I control. That means his new attack is twenty-eight hundred and fifty!"

A regal young man with blonde hair stepped out onto the field, holding a spear coated in blood. His white and gold robes were also daubed with blood, giving him a semi-insane appearance. "Even though I can't deal damage I'll still crush your monster. Prince of Blood attacks!"

Prince of Blood stabbed his spear into Emerald Paladin's stomach, twisted the weapon around, and then yanked it out. Emerald Paladin coughed up blood as his stomach was opened to the air, and then collapsed on the ground. Moments later he vanished. "You've done your dirty work for the turn. Now, it's my turn Zane."

Ryu drew, then set his previous card into his duel disk. "End turn."

Zane snorted as he drew, actually looking bored. "If that's really all you can do, then this really won't be any challenge for me. You're barely hanging on, there's no method for you to survive at all."

"We'll see Zane. I've made my promises, so I'm not going to declare who a winner is until one of the two of us actually loses all their life points. Or maybe you think a duel is determined before that point?" Their eyes met, and seconds later Zane looked away.

"It doesn't matter, the conclusion is inevitable. Now, I'll show you! I sacrifice another Blood Puppet to destroy all of your life points!" Another one went flying at Ryu, but despite the danger he was unworried. Instead he pointed at his face down card and it flipped up.

"Trap Cloning lets me pay half my life points to copy a trap in any player's graveyard, so I'll replay my own Hallowed Life Barrier. By discarding the last card in my hand I'm completely protected this turn once again." Again the oncoming Blood Puppet exploded before it could reach him, and his life points were safe. Except of course from the life point payment. (RLP: 100)

"You…you're just barely hanging on at all. Why not make it even more hopeless for you by sacrificing my Prince of Blood in order to summon Blood King(2000/1500) who gains two hundred attack points per Blood Puppet under my command!" In place of a young blonde man coated in blood there was now an older man with gray hair and a gray beard, also covered in blood.

Ryu didn't seem phased even as Blood King's attack power skyrocketed to sixty-four hundred. "You look so confident Ryu, I'll strip you of it next turn. You can only delay me so long. Now, I end my turn and during my end phase Blood King's effect generates a Blood Puppet token, further increasing his attack points."

The dragon duelist drew without hesitation, a smile on his face. "I don't know the outcome of this duel Zane, there's no way for me to know something like that yet while the duel is still going. In fact, I can't make any promises to anyone about winning. All I can do is keep fighting like I always have."

"Keep fighting? You're not fighting, you're just running away from inevitability! Each turn you've only prevented me from finishing off your life points instead of actually attempting to inflict any damage on me. How can you expect to win like that? Your time for defending is over! Fight back or die!" Ryu placed his drawn card into his duel disk as Zane spoke, and then pressed the activation button on his duel disk.

"Sorry Zane, but you're wrong. Time isn't up yet, because I have the magic card Time Slip! This sends all monsters in play into the future, and once per turn we can bring back our removed monsters, though they can't attack that turn." Zane slammed his foot against the ground, his raging power cracking it. Despite his rage there was nothing he could do to stop all of his monsters from being pulled into a swirling vortex overhead.

"Sad to say that tokens when removed from play for this card can't return, so all your precious Blood Puppets are gone for good. But since I've got no other cards and since I didn't remove any monsters I can't do anything. So, guess it's your turn." Ryu smiled happily at his opponent, who drew with his eyes blazing.

"Blood King(2000/1500) is returned. And since I can't do anything else I'll just end my turn. Of course Blood King produces a new Blood Puppet, raising his attack to twenty-two hundred." Ryu nodded and reached for his deck, still seeming to be happy. But for what reason Zane couldn't be sure of. There didn't seem to be anything to be happy about.

He slid a card off his deck and then discarded it from his hand. "The reason I'm not worried is all a matter of strategy actually. People keep thinking that I'll just throw it all out there and use brute force, but my deck has strategy, and my strategy is about to beat you."

"What are you talking about? And why did you just discard the card you drew?" In response Ryu pointed one finger above his head, and Zane followed it. He jerked back in surprise when he saw a dragon glowing blue descending from above.

"During the turn after Time Slip has been activated I can discard a card from my hand to special summon Temporal Stone Dragon(0/0) from my deck to the field. When he's summoned I get to special summon other monsters from my grave or deck to the field, none of which can attack for a total of three turns. If the only monsters removed by Time Slip were my own then that effect is negated. So now, I begin my summons!" His field began to warp as one by one new monsters appeared on it.

"Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600), Ruby Dragon(1600/1300), Diamond Dragon(2100/2800), and Dragon of the Merger(700/900) are all summoned!" Four dragons appeared next to the weak time manipulating dragon, one a beautiful dragon with blue scales, another an almost identical one with red, the next a much larger dragon with diamond scales and a horn. Last amongst them was a small dragon that's wings seemed to be pulling in everything around it and pulling it into itself.

"When Dragon of the Merger is summoned I can add a union or fusion related card from my grave or deck to my hand. This card is my choice." He held up a simple easily recognizable card, and Zane just shrugged.

"So you've added a Polymerization card to your hand. Instead of summoning dragons stronger than my Blood King you summoned weaker ones. Even if they can fuse, so what? If you don't finish it this turn my one Blood Puppet will end you with its Blood Spear. What can you do now?" In response Ryu held up his Polymerization, and his smile dropped away, leaving him with a look of focus.

"You act like my card can't accomplish anything. That's far from true, because it's going to summon one of the strongest monsters in the entire game, which is surpassed by very few. Even the legendary Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon bows its head before this monster, one of the grand dragon rulers. I'm not just fusing a few of my dragons, I'm fusing all five of them!" Zane felt a tingle run up his spine as the four other dragons were pulled in by Dragon of the Merger's wings. When the dragon's shape shifted and began to grow insanely huge he knew that there was trouble.

"What…what in the world is that monstrosity!" The full form of the newly summoned monster was at least sixty feet in height with an enormous body stretched out behind Ryu. Instead of just one head this monster had five, each one representing a dragon of a different element.

"This is an ultimate dragon who can only be fusion summoned by using five dragon sub-types together. This is a monster I was given by Pegasus himself in order to push my power farther. This is your destroyer, Five God Dragon(5000/5000)!" The five heads roared, and suddenly Zane felt incredibly small. Despite the power of Second Level Blood rushing through his veins he was no match for this beast.

Ryu squeezed his outstretched hand into a fist and Zane felt the younger man's gaze nearly rip through him with its intensity. "Five God Dragon, attack with God Dragon Flames! ANNIHILATE!"

Zane didn't even get a chance to complete his scream as the massive combined attack of Five God Dragon blew away his Blood King and vaporized his body. The Darkness Game faded away and the blast continued, slashing through the side of the building. "Thank you Five God Dragon, you saved the day." (ZLP: 0)

He turned away as the dragon faded, and found Autumn waiting for him, already helping Pegasus to his feet. "Guys, let's call the police to clean this place up. But while they're on the way, let's search this place and see what we can find."

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They had put their best efforts forth into getting everyone down from the meat hooks, but it wasn't a job they could accomplish on their own. Some of them seemed to have had their skin become so accustomed to it that it was almost impossible to remove them without causing further damage.

In addition the sheer volume of people present was too great for the three of hem to handle. It would take the police roughly another thirty minutes to arrive since this processing plant was so far out of the way, so now what was left was their search.

Currently they were in the control room, looking over surveillance tapes of the place and also any saved files. "Damn, these guys were careful. They didn't save any information that appears to be give any real information about who's in charge of this whole process. I know you say it's Paradias, but that doesn't tell us much."

Pegasus accepted that as he leaned forward to view the next video. His own resources pointed towards this factory having been purchased by an outlet group controlled by Paradias. But since he no longer knew who was in control of Paradias it didn't really do much for them. "Well now, this appears to be interesting."

The latest video tape was of this very office, and Zane was standing in the center at attention as someone came through the door. To their surprise it was a man in a wheelchair being pushed by an attractive blonde secretarial type.

Yet it wasn't the fact that the man Zane was meeting with was in a wheelchair that surprised them. Instead it was the fact that the man was also covered by a white robe that covered most of his exposed skin, including his face. His hands were wrapped in white gauze, so even that was covered.

The other thing that seemed strange was the look of fear in Zane's eyes as the man was pushed closer, rasping with each motion of the wheelchair. As they watched the man bound to the wheelchair reached to his side and picked up an oxygen mask. He placed it against the cloth and breathed deeply a few times. "Wow, that guy must be nearly dead or something."

Autumn slapped Ryu on the shoulder and held a finger up to her mouth. "Quiet idiot, it looks like this guy might be someone in charge. Look at how obedient Zane is being, and how afraid he is."

It was true, Zane had given a deep bow to the man in the wheelchair as soon as he was close enough. _"Sir, production is staying on schedule. We've produced one hundred vials of Stage One Blood today so far, and should meet our quota of five hundred before the day is done."_

The man in the wheelchair didn't seem to be looking at Zane, but still he responded in a cracking voice that seemed to come from a ruined voice box. _"Excellent, then all is well here. This meeting isn't for a check-up though. Instead I've come to deliver the special guards I said I would bring."_

Zane seemed to sweat at the sound of it, and automatically the three of them knew what this guy was talking about. He was speaking about those animalistic men that Zane had sent after them, people exposed to the pure form of Blood. _"Ah, yes sir, I understand! Sir, I've been wondering something for a long time…how did you discover how to create Blood?"_

A raspy chuckle issued forth from behind the cloth, and the bound man's shoulders shook. _"I thought you might ask. I learned the process of refining the human form of it that we create in factories through trial and error, and through the effort of certain compatriots of mine who were willing to impart their knowledge to me after suitable coaxing. Blood itself comes from an entirely different source, which I could never fully duplicate."_

Zane shot a quick glance down at the factory floor, where chanting men slashed at the skin of the hanging men and women that were their sources of the blood that they magically corrupted. _"Sir, I understand that I'm being paid large sums of money for this, and I've been involved in plenty of drug operations before but…this seems unusual. You've had us give out so much of Blood for free that it seems bad for profits."_

_"Did it ever occur to me that if my intent was just to make money I could do it many ways better than simply creating a deadly drug and marketing it? There are far more significant things in life than money."_ Zane tilted his head up to look at his superior, but whatever he saw made him flinch away again, bowing his head.

_"Sir, would it be too bold of me to ask what that purpose is? If not money, then why make Blood and spread it around like this? What's the real reason?" _There was dead silence both in the room in the video, and in the office as they watched the video. They were all waiting for the wheelchair man's reaction, but so far he was completely silent.

Finally after nearly a minute of waiting, in which the man in the wheelchair took several more deep breaths from his oxygen mask with the aid of the blonde woman, the silence was broken. _"My experiences in life, everything I have seen, it has all told me that mankind is to be despised. Mankind is brutal and incapable of unity of any kind. I intend to completely strip away all those false layers and expose the beast within every living human being."_

The man wheezed, and his cloth covered hands clenched tightly on the armrests of his wheelchair. _"The longer Blood remains in the human body, the more doses that are added, the closer it becomes to the original. Bit by bit mankind will be exposed to more and more of its own brutal nature, and within ten years the veneer will be stripped away leaving only the true nature of the demon that is humanity left."_

Zane shivered as the man lifted his head and stared up at his tall form. _"You don't believe that human beings are like I say they are. That's what your body says, that's what your eyes say. When you see the guards I have brought for you then you will understand. The nature of Blood is that it removes all barriers of pretension and reveals the truth."_

Ryu raised a hand and looked at the other two, briefly pausing the video. "Anybody else think this guy has some serious malfunctions if he's talking like that? I mean, it sounds really creepy and almost…familiar now that I think about it."

Autumn rubbed her chin with her right hand, still staring at the video screen. "I know what you mean. I keep feeling like I've heard stuff a lot like this before. And for the malfunction part, I think that aspect is obvious considering the whole nature of how he produces this fake version of Blood."

Pegasus pushed them aside and pressed the play button. "Time is of the essence children. We'll discuss what we've seen and heard after we depart and avoid questioning by the police. Now, let's finish watching."

_"I understand sir…I suppose. Are you sure that the guards you're bringing will be enough to fend off any intruders?" _Again Zane wilted under the unseen stare of his superior, and without a word the man flicked his wrist. The screen on Zane's wall, the one they were now watching, lit up with images of the guards they had faced.

They were battering at a solid steel wall, leaving heavy dents as they struggled to escape. _"That's their temporary cage. What you see is the fourth layer of steel out of seven. They have already destroyed the first three. They'll handle whatever you might be forced to face. You'll be given a special gift to let you control them, but nobody else will be able to. Don't let them out without being around or they'll slaughter everyone they can reach."_

Zane shook just watching them. They seemed to be monsters rather than men, despite their appearance. Seeing them he really began to believe what his superior had said about the beast inside of mankind. _"I see sir. Very well, I'll begin work with them right away."_

_"Good, now I've expended enough energy here today and I have more guards to deliver at other processing plants. Perform well Zane, or you might not live to see the day when the truth is revealed to the world."_ The blonde woman turned the wheelchair around and pushed the man out of the room. Zane watched them go, and waited over a minute after they were gone before he slumped down in a chair, looking exhausted.

_"That damned Nobuki…every time I've met him I got the feeling he would sooner kill me than look at me. I'm really working for a lunatic this time, aren't I?"_ He dropped his head into his hands and shivered, knowing that more was to come.

The tape ended there, and left Ryu, Autumn, and Pegasus all staring at the screen in horror. Ryu and Autumn turned to look at each other sporting identical looks of fear and surprise. "Nobuki as in…."

Ryu nodded, and rewound the tape and froze it on an image of the man in the wheelchair with his head lifted to look at Zane. On close inspection they saw that one of his eyes had no color to it, while the other was a very bright blue color, one that would be described as 'ice blue'. "That's right. The reason it sounded familiar is because the man in charge of this atrocity is Taichi Nobuki."

Pegasus rubbed his arms, trying to put warmth back into them. Although he hadn't experienced it first hand he knew all about Taichi Nobuki's exploits, and how he had become an insane and violent super powered minion of the god Eikyuu. "If Taichi is the one doing this, then there's no way we alone can stop him. I think it's about time we returned to your friend Dalin and told him what we've learned."

"Yeah, Dalin will know what to do. Let's go…the police will be here soon anyways." They left as quickly as they had come, leaving little trace of themselves. Yet no matter how far they went from the processing plant, the memories of what they had seen would forever be imprinted in their minds.

As would the knowledge that this was happening all over the world to potentially tens of thousands of people. There was just no way to ever forget that, or the fact that it was all caused by someone who had been a source of misery for them in the past.

Those cold eyes didn't stop watching them no matter how far they ran.

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Author's Notes: And now the pieces of the puzzle begin to slowly come together, bit by bit.

_Next Time: The secret behind the creator of Blood has been revealed, and all three of them rush to Dalin to deliver the news. The groups are gathering together, yet Takuya and Kai are still far away. Kai now faces a deadly opponent on his own, with the threat of being absorbed into some bizarre collective hanging over his head. Can he defeat his foe and complete his mission, or will he become one with Eramoros?_

_See it all in, The Art of Not Becoming!_


	27. The Art of Not Becoming

Author's Note: Back to Kai.

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Art of Not Becoming**

_With a yell filled with his own strength Kai pushed past the wall of power, and it faded away, letting him stand unhindered. "You're powerful, but I've faced powerful foes before. I'll tell you now that I'm never the most powerful, but I win all the same. I have the skill and the knowledge to defeat any opponent, and I will defeat you. Even if it takes all of who I am, I won't allow you to move forwards from this point."_

_"Yes, I've realized that. But in the grand scheme of things your efforts are insignificant. As we speak the Balance Matrix is ticking away towards the apocalypse, and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. All that matter is the knowledge to be gained from it. Kai Kaethen, don't fear, because when you become part of the greater consciousness you will gain that knowledge as soon as I do. And one more thing." Eramoros drew, his lips tilting up into a deadly smirk._

_"You're not in my league. Watch, as I show you the power of my very own Duel Presence. First I set four cards face down, and then I set a monster. Lastly…I activate Hand Obliteration!" A gust of wind struck Kai, blasting his five hand cards away, leaving him with nothing. _

_'No…on the first turn and already he's forced me into top decking! But wait…what about this Duel Presence he mentioned? I just have to hope it's nothing on the same level as Kedamono's Duel Presence, or it's not likely I can survive this.' Kai's thoughts were interrupted as the air around him pressed inwards, squeezing his flesh and putting tremendous pressure on his bones._

_"My Duel Presence activates whenever a card goes to the cemetery because of an effect. You take one hundred damage for each card, and I gain an equal amount. In other words, every card I lose and every card you lose will ultimately lead to your defeat!" The pressure loosened and Kai dropped to his hands and knees, sucking in air desperately. (KLP: 3500, ELP: 4500)_

_Unsteadily Kai stood, his hand shaking as it moved to the top of his deck. "Every villain we meet says something like that, but I want you to know before I draw, that I've been drastically outclassed in duels before…"_

_His mind drifted to his duel with D'harim the Death Knight, in which he had been mercilessly tortured by the evil being in order to teach him some perverse lesson about suffering. "Yet even when confronted by that kind of opponent, even when I know that I can't win, I have no path open to me but to go forwards. I've stopped trying to remain in one place in life, and I won't remain frozen in a duel because my opponent is stronger or better."_

_He paused, and then placed his fingertips on his first card. "I'm going to move onwards and defeat you, even though you may be my superior. But though I move on from the past, I've learned from my own mistakes in that past. And I won't fall victim the way I had before. This time, it will be different!"_

_Eramoros spread out his arms in an almost welcoming gesture, looking like he was going to sweep Kai into a hug. "Then come to me Kai Kaethen, and join this consciousness through battle! Within it you will learn the past, and you will see the future! Become part of me!"_

_"Not a chance. I am Kai Kaethen only…and I will never become part of you!"_

As soon as he spoke those words Kai flipped the card he was holding up off his deck and then with a quick glance at it he tossed it down onto his duel disk. "Trap Breaker(1600 +300/1000) is my summon!"

A purple robed breaker appeared on the field, holding his sword aloft, the hilt glowing. "Since I normal summoned him he gains a counter and three hundred attack points. Now…"

Kai paused, considering his choices. He had been forced to top deck Trap Breaker, so he had nothing to back up the monster should he be destroyed. His opponent had four face down cards, but it was likely some of those had just been set to allow the activation of Hand Obliteration. _'And I have to consider his dangerous duel presence. If I do manage to slay his monster then I'll take damage and he'll gain life points. It's a risk but…I have to take it!'_

"Trap Breaker, attack Eramoros' face down monster!" Trap Breaker gave a battle cry and swung his sword down, sending a flare of purple light at the monster. The card shuddered, appeared as a furry brown creature with fangs and short arms, and then exploded.

Eramoros smirked and caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "The monster you destroyed was Sangan(1000/600) so now I add one monster from my deck to my hand with fifteen hundred or less attack. Then my duel presence activates." (KLP: 3400, ELP: 4600)

"Since I have no cards in my hand my turn ends there!" He breathed in deeply, trying to refocus himself. It seemed that just the stress of that one turn had shaken him because of the high level Darkness Game. He'd have to be careful if he was to win.

Eramoros drew and immediately placed the card into his one open magic zone. "I use Bury the Dead, which allows me to send three monsters from my deck to the grave. The ones I send there are unimportant, what matters is that my Duel Presence activates again!" (KLP: 3100, ELP: 4900)

Kai grunted under the pressure, holding a hand to his chest as he tried to steady his breathing. "You cannot stand against me Kai Kaethen. One monster in defense mode and end turn!"

Again Kai drew, still aware that he was in a poor position. "Trap Breaker, attack the face down monster!" Another purple wave was fired out, and a woman in black robes with purple hair appeared and was cut down by the attack.

"Why thank you. Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1300) was just what I needed to search for a monster with fifteen hundred or less defense as well as use my Duel Presence again." Eramoros smirked, his strange blue eyes shimmering as another trickle of energy leaked from Kai to him. (KLP: 3000, ELP: 5000)

_'It's only a few turns into the duel and he already has a two thousand point advantage over me. What's worse is that his Duel Presence is the perfect ability to counteract my deck's strategy of breaking. Not good…'_ He kept his face calm as he slid his newly drawn card into his duel disk and it appeared face down.

Eramoros snatched a card off his deck and added it to his hand with the monster he had searched for. Then he glanced at Kai's face down card and smiled. "Let's see what you have waiting for me. I play Bait Doll, which forces your card to activate. If the timing is wrong your card is destroyed!"

Kai sighed as his face down card flipped up, revealing a trap card showing an arc of energy flying off a Breaker with cracked armor. "My Arc Flash is usable only when a Breaker is destroyed, so Bait Doll destroys it."

The trap card shattered, and then Kai was immediately hit with the pressure of Eramoros' Duel Presence, draining him of another hundred life points. "At this rate you won't last long will you Kai? Oh, and when Bait Doll has been used it is shuffled back into my deck." (KLP: 2900, ELP: 5100)

"Now that I've done that I'll set the monster I searched for face down and conclude my turn." Kai closed his eyes and bit back his irritation at his opponent's strategy so far. He couldn't tell the purpose of the man's deck at all. So far he had just relied on his Duel Presence and had used search monsters. It didn't make sense.

"Effect Breaker(1600 +300/1000) joins Trap Breaker on the field of battle!" A Breaker in light blue robes now stood next to the first one, and they crossed their swords together. Eramoros glanced at his set monster, looking slightly worried.

"Looks like I guessed right, it's another searcher! Effect Breaker attacks it!" Eramoros frowned as his monster was slashed in half, revealing a giant tomato that was grinning evilly at Kai.

Kai smirked and snapped his fingers. "Normally your Mystic Tomato(1400/1000) would let you special summon a dark monster from your deck with fifteen hundred or less attack but I sacrifice my Effect Breaker's counter to negate that ability!"

"Still, you take damage from my Duel Presence and I gain life points!" Despite the force beating down on Kai he still felt more determined than he had in the past few turns. Somehow he knew that his attack path was clear. (KLP: 2800, ELP: 5200)

"So far you haven't used any of your four set cards, which tells me that my original guess on their worth was right. They were set purely so you could use Hand Obliteration and nothing else. So now Trap Breaker goes direct!" Eramoros let out a small scream as the Breaker's sharp sword slashed down on his shoulder. (ELP: 3300)

"Looks like I've reduced the gap between us Eramoros. With those four set cards clogging up your field you're at a disadvantage. Take your turn, I'm confident now." Kai folded his arms, feeling a little bit more relaxed now that he knew he could really hurt Eramoros. This wouldn't be as tough as Kedamono.

Eramoros drew and his irritation vanished instantly. "You're wrong Kai Kaethen. These face down cards aren't going to clog up my field and they weren't set just so I could use Hand Obliteration. I guess it's time for me to see if you can comprehend my strategy."

Kai braced himself, worried about the nature of those set cards and more particularly the nature of the card Eramoros had just drawn. It had changed the man's demeanor, and that didn't bode well for him. "Bring on your strategy and I'll break it down like I would any other!"

"You certainly have confidence Kai Kaethen, but that means nothing. Magic card activate…Gryphon's Feather Duster!" Kai blinked as a tornado formed on Eramoros' field and began to pull at the four face down cards he had.

"But…that magic card destroys all your magic and traps in exchange for five hundred life points. So you want to destroy your cards? Just for your Duel Presence?" Eramoros didn't respond other than to smile confidently as his four set cards were blown away by the tornado formed by his magic card. (ELP: 5300)

"Yes…and now my card effects are revealed! Two of them are cards known as Dark Coffins, which when destroyed activate one of two effects. Either they destroy a monster on your field or force you to discard a card from your hand. Since you have no cards, both your monsters will die!" Two pitch black coffins appeared behind the Breakers and chains shot out, dragging them in.

Kai snapped a hand out and pointed at Trap Breaker. "I'll sacrifice Trap Breaker's counter to negate the Dark Coffin targeting him!" The breaker turned around and cut through the chains, then proceeded to slash the coffin in half.

"Still your Effect Breaker is destroyed by my trap card." Effect Breaker tried to cry out, but chains wrapped around its mouth and pulled it completely in. The door slammed shut and then the coffin was dragged into the ground and out of sight.

"My third card is a very common card that is called Repayment of Losses, which when it goes to the grave allows me to draw one card." Eramoros slid a card off his deck, and then pointed at his last card which reappeared in play.

"The final of my four is Establish Contacts, a similar card to Repayment of Losses. The difference is that whenever it goes to the grave I can add a monster from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck and he caught it, still smiling.

"And now at last my Duel Presence drains you of five hundred life points and gives me the same amount!" The pressure was the same amount as the previous first turn, slamming Kai with a heavy load even as it charged up Eramoros. (KLP: 2300, ELP: 5800)

Kai's eyes widened as suddenly he saw the connection. "You…your strategy is all about destroying your own cards. Card effects that activate when they go to the grave. It's the perfect combo strategy with your Duel Presence and the perfect counter to my deck!"

"That's exactly right. Now, to clear away your field I think I'll summon my End Slasher(1700/1500) to the field and have him slash Trap Breaker!" A pitch black warrior holding a silvery sword appeared and stabbed his blade deep in Trap Breaker's armor. It wrenched the weapon free and Trap Breaker dropped to the ground and faded away. (KLP: 2100, ELP: 5900)

"Last but not least I'll place my drawn card face down and conclude my turn. Now that you've seen my strategy perhaps you'll consider giving up. After all, your entire strategy will merely aid me and harm you, so how can you hope to win?" Eramoros grinned in a cocky manner, and Kai saw a brief flash of a russet-haired duelist grinning at him in a similar manner. Immediately he felt anger and frustration bubbling up in his chest.

With those thoughts in mind Kai drew fiercely and slammed the drawn card into his duel disk. Instantly a grinning green pot appeared on his field. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!" He drew twice and the green pot shattered.

"Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600 +300/1000) is my next summon! And I'll sacrifice his counter to destroy your face down card!" Eramoros chuckled as the card was blown apart. Particularly when a whiskered monster of a golden color rose up from the dust of the destroyed card. (KLP: 2000, ELP: 6000)

"You destroyed Statue of the Wicked, which generates a Wicked Idol(1000/1000) token when slain. Fool, did you really think you would accomplish anything with that?" Kai simply pointed at End Slasher and Breaker raised his sword.

"Just removing all threats as best I can. Breaker, that will be you target in a moment. Spell Production grants you another magic counter, so now go and kill End Slasher!" Breaker jumped forwards and took revenge for Trap Breaker, stabbing his sword deep into the warrior's chest and then wrenching it out. (KLP: 1900, ELP: 5900)

"Fool, when End Slasher is destroyed the top card of your deck goes to the cemetery and therefore my Duel Presence deals you more damage!" Kai didn't respond as he discarded the card and noted what it was. He was certainly worried, but now wasn't the time to show that. (KLP: 1800, ELP: 6000)

The red head slapped his newly drawn card onto his duel disk and the Wicked Idol token faded away almost immediately. "By sacrificing my monster I can summon End of Anubis(2500/2000) into play!"

A large jackal-headed monster emerged and threw its head back, howling to the darkness above. Kai's hands clenched tight as he saw the damage coming his way. "End of Anubis, rip Breaker apart!"

End of Anubis did exactly that. It grabbed each of Breaker's arms and strained its ropy muscles, finally succeeding in tearing the Breaker in half. Kai looked away, feeling a little sick to the stomach even as the pain from the Darkness Game struck him. "You see Kai Kaethen? It is hopeless!" (KLP: 1100, ELP: 6100)

Kai looked down at his deck, and then looked over his shoulder at where he knew the jeep would be if he wasn't surrounded by darkness. _'Every minute that I'm here is not just dangerous to the world, but also dangerous to Takuya's life. I have to win soon or he'll die!'_

He drew and met Eramoros' blue eyes and stood tall under the pressure of the Darkness Game. "Eramoros, I don't have time to deal with this. I'll beat you as quick as I can. Hand Rebirth, recharge our hands!"

Since neither player had any cards in hand they didn't have to discard, all they did was draw five brand new cards. Kai looked over his five cards and instantly knew what to do. "Breaker's Stealth Attack is my next card. As long as this continuous magic card is in play whenever I use a Breaker's effect you take two hundred damage."

Next he tossed a card into his monster zone. "Monster Breaker(1600 +300/1000) will combat End of Anubis with its special effect!" His newest monster was robed in black and looked somewhat deadlier than the past few Breakers because of it.

"By tributing his counter I can destroy your End of Anubis! Although it costs me one hundred life points and gives you one hundred it's well worth it to empty your field!" A beam of black energy struck End of Anubis in the middle of its chest and it exploded, leaving Eramoros' field clear. (KLP: 1000, ELP: 6000)

"Now since the way is open I'll have Monster Breaker attack you directly!" Eramoros hissed as Monster Breaker's sword slashed the opposite shoulder to the one Trap Breaker had cut, evening up the damage. Yet even as his life points were drained somewhat he still seemed a long way off, with far more life points than Kai had. (ELP: 4400)

"Finally I'll place a card down to defend Monster Breaker. Make your move count Eramoros, or I'll cut you down in just a few turns!" The red haired duelist responded by chuckling while he drew. Kai knew his luck was off as soon as he heard that little chuckle.

"It's time to really show you the key point of my strategy. A technique capable of inflicting one turn kills on the opponent, deadly whenever used. The continuous magic card Upsetting the Table!" Kai nearly lost his balance as the ground beneath their feet shook and rose up, taking them several feet into the air.

He looked around and realized what had happened. They were now standing on a massive wooden table instead of the black ground. "What is this? It looks like this would be a field card, but you said it's not."

"That's correct. Upsetting the Table is a continuous magic card with a deadly ability. You see it represents what can happen if a frustrated person tries to start things over when in trouble. Like a person sweeping a chess game off a table when losing. Allow me to demonstrate." Eramoros smiled as he placed two cards on his duel disk.

First a sake bottle appeared on the field, and then a pitch black man with an incantation circle surrounding him joined the fray. "Meet my monster End Summoner(900/800) and also my continuous magic card One More Sake. And now, I upset the table!"

Eramoros slammed his foot down, and then entire table tilted in his direction. Kai hit the ground on his back and barely managed to grab the lip of the table to keep from sliding off. The monsters seemed to be having the same trouble, but Eramoros remained standing as if nothing had happened. "What are you doing?"

"Simple. Once per turn Upsetting the Table lets me destroy all cards on my field except itself to destroy an equal number on your field. After I do so I can't make a normal summon, so you shouldn't worry about that. Of course, you're about to lose your set card and your monster!" Monster Breaker scrabbled against the table, trying to stay on, but End Summoner was thrown off and shattered.

Kai pointed to his face down card which was being targeted. "Arc Energy Field prevents one Breaker on my field from being destroyed once this turn, and negates all life point damage inflicted to me this turn when Breakers battle!"

Eramoros frowned as he realized he had failed to destroy either card, so it didn't work out as well as he had hoped. "I see you managed to save yourself, but it won't help in the long run. Not only does my Duel Presence work, but also One More Sake has an effect when destroyed. It deals five hundred damage to you!" (KLP: 300, ELP: 4600)

"That's not all! When End Summoner is destroyed by an effect I can revive a monster from the grave, getting around Upsetting the Table's effect. So End of Anubis(2500/2000) returns and slays Monster Breaker!" Kai closed his eyes and gulped as End of Anubis attacked Monster Breaker and proceeded to rip it in half just like it had with Breaker. (KLP: 200, ELP: 4700)

"Open your eyes Kai Kaethen, because it's your turn." Kai opened his eyes and discovered that the field had changed more than he had seen. Now there was a card set on Eramoros' field behind End of Anubis.

Kai drew and tossed the card out onto the field. End of Anubis eyed the new monster hungrily despite the odd shade of green that its robes were. "Soul Breaker(1600 +300/1000) has a unique effect that will deal with you! By sacrificing its counter I can use the effect of a Breaker in the grave, and I choose to use Monster Breaker's!"

For the second time in the duel a black bolt of energy split End of Anubis down the middle and drained Kai of what was effectively half of his life points. "Breaker's Stealth Attack also deals you two hundred damage since I used a Breaker effect!" (KLP: 100, ELP: 4600)

He flicked a glance down at the set card, but was somehow certain he could risk the attack. Despite his limited life points he wasn't worried for some reason. "Soul Breaker attacks you directly!"

A trio of men in white robes sprang up and deflected the sword strike, protecting Eramoros from the attack. "It's a standard trap, but effective. Waboku reduces all battle damage I would take this turn to zero. Neat isn't it?"

Kai silently placed one of his two cards onto his duel disk and nodded his head to Eramoros. The blue-eyed man flicked a card off his deck and then made his move. "First I summon Drunken Angel(1800/1000) to the field."

An angel in a rumpled suit staggered out, his wings looking ruffled. He was also holding a bottle of sake in his hand. The angel looked up at Kai and giggled. _"I'm not quite that drunk yet, maybe we should remedy that."_

Eramoros snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "Ah, Drunken Angel has a point. He can't be called that till he's drunk, so I play Sweet Sake, a continuous magic card similar to One More Sake. And then…I upset the table!"

Eramoros slammed his left foot down on the table and again it tipped up, sending Soul Breaker staggering. Drunken Angel just stumbled around and Kai had prepared himself this time and was already gripping the lip of the table when it tipped up. "When Sweet Sake is destroyed I gain one thousand life points, not that it matters since just that one destruction defeats you and your Soul Breaker!" (ELP: 5800)

Soul Breaker slid off the edge and was instantly destroyed, but to Eramoros surprise when the table righted itself Kai stood back up, unharmed. "What the hell? How are you still alright? You can't negate my Duel Presence!"

"You're right, I can't. But my set card is gone if you hadn't noticed. It was my trap card Arc Guard, which works when I have a Breaker in play and negates all life point damage to me for the turn. And maybe you can explain why your Drunken Angel survived." Eramoros looked disappointed, but not devastated. After all, it only would take one use of Upsetting the Table or one card destroyed to beat his opponent now.

"Drunken Angel is immune to the effect of Upsetting the Table, that's why he's still alive. Now, since I can't do anything else I'll end my turn." He sighed, and looked up into the dark air. It was annoying him not to be able to end it, but Kai was good at hanging on.

Kai drew and snapped the card out to the side. Then he slid his other card into his duel disk. "Go, Breaker Birth! This lets me special summon a level four or less Breaker from my deck and give it a counter. So I summon Damage Breaker(1600 +300/1000)!"

Eramoros blinked, not liking the sound of the new forest green Breaker's name. "Next I play Breaker Dual Summon! By sacrificing one monster on my opponent's field I can summon a level four or lower Breaker from my deck. In exchange I lose my battle phase."

The red-haired man grimaced as he realized that Kai had gotten around his Duel Presence with that move. Since Drunken Angel was being sacrificed it didn't count towards his Duel Presence, keeping the other duelist safe. "Very well, summon your monster."

"Spell Breaker(1600 +300/1000) is my choice! And his ability can be used to destroy magic cards or negate them, so I'll tribute his to cut down Upsetting the Table!" A white robed Breaker stepped out onto the field and immediately stabbed his sword down into the table. Cracks spread along it and then it shattered.

"I counter your Duel Presence with Damage Breaker's effect, tributing his counter to reduce all life point damage to me for the turn to zero!" The forest green robed Breaker snapped his blade up and a green barrier appeared surrounding Kai and his two monsters, protecting them from all outside forces.

"Next since two Breaker effects were activated my Breaker Stealth Attack deals you four hundred damage, although you recover one hundred thanks to your Duel Presence." Eramoros was the one to feel the pressure this time as he was pushed backwards thanks to Kai's continuous magic card. (ELP: 5500)

"Turn End!" Kai knew very well that he had taken a risk there. If Eramoros was able to draw something that could destroy even one card then the duel was ended. He had to count on luck now, and his luck recently hadn't been great.

Seconds after Eramoros drew Kai knew that he was safe for the time being. The look on his opponent's face said it all. "You escape death for now Kai Kaethen, but your luck won't last forever. I set one monster and one card face down then end my turn."

Kai drew, and then pressed a special button on his duel disk. Immediately a side slot opened up and he placed the drawn card into it. "Field magic card activate, Breaker Temple!"

The area behind Kai shook and a massive structure took shape. It was surrounded by tall walls, but the grandeur was evident. Two tall spires made of white marble emerged from the center of the structure, and both Breakers relaxed at the sight. "This is where the Breakers learned their arts of magic and the blade, and it grants them greater strength both in combat and magic!"

"First of all it grants all Breakers an attack increase of three hundred, restoring them to nineteen hundred each. Secondly it increases the max number of counters my Breakers can hold to three. Thirdly I can place a magic counter on one Breaker on my field during my main phase if that monster is without counters. So I restore Damage Breaker's!" The hilt of Damage Breaker's sword lit up and his attack points raised a further three hundred to twenty-two hundred attack.

"I'll go preemptive and sacrifice Damage Breaker's counter to shield me from damage this turn You take damage from Breaker's Stealth Attack as well. Then he'll attack your face down monster!" Damage Breaker jumped forwards and skewered the monster, which was revealed as a little skeleton wearing a cloak.

"Skull Servant(300/200)? Strange choice, but I'm not going to worry about a weak monster that has no effect. Spell Breaker(1900/1000) attacks you directly!" Eramoros coughed up blood as Spell Breaker's sword slashed across his stomach. The red-haired man shook and one knee dropped to the ground which he quickly picked back up. (ELP: 3900)

Since Kai had no more plays he could make Eramoros took his chance to draw, and immediately sighed with relief. "I play Magical Well, placing a magic card from my deck into my hand. I can't set or activate it this turn, but I will next turn. That's all."

As soon as Kai had drawn his card for the turn the hilt of Damage Breaker's sword lit up again, giving it more energy. Its attack rose to twenty-two hundred once more. "I have both of my two Breakers attack your life points directly!"

Eramoros pointed to his set card and a green barrier appeared to block Damage Breaker. "Damage Paralyser negates one instance of damage to my life points and then lets both players draw a card! Sadly I still take the other attack…" (ELP: 2000)

Both duelists drew at the same time, and Kai picked his two cards up and slipped them into his duel disk. "End turn."

As soon as Eramoros drew he played the card he had received from Magical Well. "My second Upsetting the Table!" Kai braced himself as the ground shook again and they were raised up on the table platform. He also reached out so that at a moment's notice he could grab the edge to keep himself hanging on.

"I set the other two cards I'm holding face down and now I upset the table!" Kai grabbed the edge of the table before Eramoros even finished the sentence, letting him stay attached to the table even as it tilted upwards in an attempt to deposit its contents into the dirt.

"My two destroyed cards are Repayment of Losses to let me draw one card, and Dark Coffin to destroy one of your monsters. So since you'll take no damage I'll that you can save yourself, I'll be attempting to destroy both of your monsters and your continuous magic card." Kai grimaced as one of his two breakers was tossed off the table and the other had a black coffin wrap it in chains and drag it into the ground.

"Damage Breaker still sacrifices its counter to protect my life points and before Breaker's Stealth Attack is destroyed it still deals you damage!" Eramoros shrugged, hardly bothered considering the damage was minimal compared to the life points he was gaining. (ELP: 2300)

As soon as the table returned to a normal position Eramoros saw that one of Kai's face down cards was now face-up. "I've just now activated my trap card, Breaker Heart. This trap revives any Breakers destroyed this turn with no effects. So Spell Breaker(1600/1000) and Damage Breaker(1600/1000) return."

The two Breakers reappeared, but there was a distinct difference this time. Most Breakers had a distinctive blue skin tone most likely caused by the nature of their magical research. These two on the other hand had pale white skin instead of their normal blue. "No effects hmmm? Very well Kai Kaethen, I set one card face down and end my turn."

Kai closed his eyes the instant he saw Eramoros' cocky grin again. He couldn't stand seeing that right now, not when there was so much on the line. This draw was critical, and he couldn't let himself be shaken. _'Despite my past of pushing people away…Takuya is my friend. Perhaps the only amongst that group that I could consider a true friend. So I will not allow him to die!'_

The card his hand was on seemed to pulse in his grip and he drew without thinking. When he held it up to his eyes he knew exactly why he had reacted in that way. "The master has come, and he wants a word with you Eramoros! I sacrifice Spell Breaker and Damage Breaker to summon the first and grandest of the Breakers! Breaker the Holy(2500 +600/25000) descend to protect the honor of your students and the pride of your school!"

Eramoros stared in shock at the massive creature in front of him. It stood at least a foot and a half taller than any previous Breaker, and its robes and armor were a magnificent combination of gold with white patterns. "For each Breaker sacrificed for this monster he gains a counter, and he has the abilities of his five original students. In addition thanks to Breaker Temple he gains three hundred more attack points for a total of thirty-four hundred points!"

Kai thrust one fist out at Eramoros, looking confident in his victory. "Breaker the Holy, avenge your students and attack Eramoros directly! Blade of the Master!" Eramoros' eyes went wide with shock as Breaker the Holy seemed to simply vanish from sight. Frantically he scrabbled for his duel disk to activate his set card.

"Go trap card, Table Upset! When this trap card is played I can upset the table during your turn and can count Table Upset as one card to be destroyed! So I'll destroy Breaker the Holy! And Table Upset cannot be negated!" This time it was Kai who was in shock as Breaker the Holy overshot his target and crashed down off the table, now defeated.

"No…even though my supreme monster has been defeated I have yet to lose. Continuous trap card activates, Breaker Soul Energy! This trap comes into play with three counters, each of which can be used for the effect of a Breaker in the grave. I remove one counter to use Damage Breaker's effect!" Eramoros shrugged even as his Duel Presence was prevented from dealing damage. He had bested Kai's best monster, and that was what mattered. (ELP: 2500)

Eramoros drew and held up a familiar card. "Pot of Greed." He drew twice and slid each of the two cards into play. Then he raised his left knee up and poised to strike the table. Kai grabbed the table's lip just in time as Eramoros upset the table, blowing away his two cards.

"Before my continuous trap card is destroyed I sacrifice another counter on it to once again use Damage Breaker's effect!" A forest green barrier formed around him just in time to guard him from shrapnel from Eramoros' cards and his own. Now his field was barren, but at least Eramoros couldn't summon this turn. (ELP: 2900)

"Kai Kaethen, this duel is nearly at its end. You see I destroyed a Sweet Sake and a Hidden Vault. As you know Sweet Sake gives me a thousand life points when destroyed and Hidden Vault lets me draw five cards when destroyed." He smirked as his life points began to rise again. As soon as it reached its peak he counted out the top five cards of his deck and then drew them, giving a careful examination of each. (ELP: 3900)

"Ah, perfect. I play Reward of Crushing Pain, which gives me half the damage dealt to you during this duel as life points. That would be nineteen hundred and fifty life points I believe." Kai winced as he saw the gap between their life points widen even further. Not only that but it also undid all of his efforts so far. (ELP: 5850)

"Last but not least I'll set one card face down and activate the continuous magic card One More Sake. You can't run much loner Kai Kaethen. Soon you will lose and become part of this collective. It is best to accept it; you'll find it is quite an amazing experience. Your soul will become one with all of us as will your mind. Don't think of it as an end, but rather as a new beginning." Eramoros' smile was inviting and comforting, and that worried Kai even farther.

Kai knew that he should take his turn, but he wasn't sure exactly what he could do. Certainly there were ways he could restore his life points in his deck, or maybe one or two more ways to protect his life points. But protecting himself wouldn't cut it; he needed a way to finish off Eramoros. _'Or else my soul will become part of this collective. I will cease to exist, Takuya will die, and perhaps the world as well. I don't want any of that; I never wanted any of this. Why did I come to meet Dalin even knowing I would be risking my life?'_

The answers weren't coming immediately, and all he could think of were the times he had fought by their side. First he had met Drake and the two of them had been flung into danger without any choice in the matter. _'I never chose that. But then I agreed to go with Dalin after learning about the danger involved, just because I wanted revenge on the people who were responsible for the deaths of my parents. My thoughts weren't about the world, but just revenge.'_

He raised his hands to stare at them, his eyes and hands shaking at a similar pace. _'This time I knew what I was getting into. I knew my life would be at risk yet I still chose to fight to defend the world. Or perhaps what I really chose to defend was…yes…that's why I accepted this.'_

Kai knew that if he gave up now or lost the duel then he would be absorbed into this strange collective and his mind and individuality all that defined him would be erased forever. If he didn't succeed here than it was giving up on the world that he had promised to grow to love. If he let it die now he would be breaking his promise, he would be giving up on his own family.

At last Kai saw his true reason and he gripped the top card of his deck as his eyes wrenched up to meet Eramoros' freakishly blue eyes. "Eramoros! I will not be the last candle to go out!"

Eramoros suddenly found himself being pressed down towards the ground by a flaring source of energy. In his mind's eye he could see a massive aura of raw energy seething around Kai Kaethen. "This is…Heart of Soul!"

Kai's eyes were now completely blank white, and he could see something he had never viewed before. Strands of light that shimmered all around them, leading off of them and away. He saw two that reached out from his own body and thousands that reached from Eramoros. _'These are…soul connections! One of these is my normal one and the other is the Heart of Soul…and that one!'_

His eyes saw a single strand of light of a gold color coming from Eramoros that was tangled around the field. It felt so familiar that Kai instinctually knew what it was. _'It's the thread of spiritual energy that controls Eramoros' Duel Presence! Which means…'_

Suddenly a gold strand of light appeared to his eye extending from his own body and wrapping about the field. He reached out one hand and took hold of it and instantly understood. As soon as he did so he drew and his energy exploded even farther. "Eramoros, I activate my Duel Presence!"

"Your…duel presence?"

"That's right! Three times during the duel I can select one card in my grave and one card in my deck and place them into my hand!" One card shot out of his deck and another from the grave, and he added them both into his hand. Now he had three cards, and somehow he seemed totally confident. Enough so that Eramoros felt afraid.

"Eramoros, this duel is over! Activate continuous magic cards Breaker Stealth Attack and Fountain of Dreams! And now…I summon Wound Breaker(1600+300/1000)!" Kai's new monster had white and blue robes, and instead of a sword it held a staff in both hands and had a serene look on both of its face.

Kai raised his right hand which was clenched tightly into a fist and then punched it towards Eramoros. "This duel ends now, with my Life Assault Loop! First Wound Breaker tributes its counter to give me three hundred life points!" (KLP: 400)

"Next since a Breaker activated its effect my Breaker Stealth Attack deals you two hundred damage!" Eramoros grimaced as his life points trickled down a little, but even that didn't worry him. It was the look on Kai's face that had him afraid. (ELP: 5650)

"Step three is that since a monster activated its effect Fountain of Dreams generates three magic counters, one of which is automatically placed onto Wound Breaker. And so the Life Assault Loop begins! Wound Breaker can infinitely gain counters and infinitely sacrifice them to give me life points and drain you of life points! This is the end!" Eramoros screamed as energy funneled around him, draining him of every last life point. (KLP: 8800, ELP: 0)

Eramoros collapsed on the ground and stared up at Kai and then his body faded away, leaving nothing in his place. Kai collapsed as well, all of his energy now drained away even though the Darkness Game was at last ended. "Takuya…I'm coming…I won't let you die, I swear!"

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A week later Kai found himself leaving the city by jeep and heading back to the mountain, back to the place where it had begun. He hadn't been feeling capable of going anywhere himself at first, and had been treated at the hospital along with Takuya. He had stayed only a day and a half, but Takuya had lost a lot of blood.

Finally Takuya had convinced him to leave him in the doctor's hands and go back to complete their mission. So here Kai was, back at the mountain at last and ready to retrieve the devious device that their mission had brought them here for. "Down into the creepy tunnel, and then to get the device, and then back to Dalin and the others. All the hard part is done, this is the easy part."

"Easy part? You've got the wrong idea about things Koi." Kai groaned as he recognized that cocky voice. And there standing with one arm leaning against the edge of the shadowed door was none other than Drake.

"Weren't you supposed to be in Madrid? What are you doing way out here anyways? And Drake…why would you even call me a fish? My name is Kai and you damned well know it!" Drake snorted and pushed away from the wall, then moved forward to stand just at the edge of the shadow.

"Keh, because the name Kai is kinda cool and that pisses me off. And don't you worry about Madrid, I've done what I needed to. Now it's time for you to do your part. Shockingly enough you've turned out to be useful. You know a little bit about torture…right Koi?" Kai's eyes widened as Drake stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself.

"What in the….what did you do to yourself? Are you really Drake?" The other man chuckled and advanced on Kai. Kai stumbled backwards, but as quickly as he moved away it seemed that Drake moved closer.

"No…I've gone a bit beyond being Drake, even if I ever really was. Call me D'raka, or call me god, whichever you'd prefer." Kai felt his heart leap up into his throat as he realized that the changed Drake was now no longer standing in front of him, but was now directly behind him.

"What…do you want?" He craned his neck back, almost afraid to look at the man standing behind him. He heard the other man chuckle and then felt something cold touch his side. Kai gulped and glanced down, confirming that the object against his side was definitely a knife.

"What do I want? Oh that's a little complicated, but from you I want something simple. I want you to show me everything you know about…pain." Kai felt the knife plunge into his side, and his world shook. He felt cold air against his ear even as his entire body started to feel cold.

"Don't go to sleep Koi, you've got a lot to show me still. I'll make sure your candle doesn't go out for a very long time…."

Nobody heard him scream.

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Author's Notes: Uh-oh spaghetti-o!

_Next Time: The time has come at last. Ihami leads the way, bringing Dalin and the others before the mysterious entity called The Puppeteer. Secrets lie in the grasp of this strange being that must be rested free, and an encounter with a powerful entity from the past has a new chapter opening in the Apocalypse._

_See it all in, Sympathy for the Devil!_


	28. Sympathy for the Devil

Author's Note: Just a little warning there is absolutely no dueling in this chapter. In addition this chapter contains plenty of explanations, so try and keep up.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Sympathy for the Devil**

The ground cracked as Drake's body slammed into it hard. He coughed up blood as his body continued to slide backwards from the force of the blow. Finally he came to a stop a dozen feet from his impact point. _'Damn…still I can't seem to beat him. I can barely even lay a finger on him. I'm a good fighter and I'm strong, so how is the level of ability so great between us?'_

Drake's father stood about twenty feet away, his legs spread in a powerful stance that kept him grounded at all times and allowed him to spring at the opponent at a moment's notice. One hand was behind his back while the other was extended in front of him, hand pointed up towards the sky in an almost inviting manner. "Come. If this is all you can muster then I'm disappointed to call you my son. All you're fighting me with is frustration and anger, and that cannot defeat me! If that is all you have to fight with, then stay down."

Masue frowned when he heard his son start to chuckle. Drake braced his hands against the ground and began to struggle to push himself back up. Inch by inch he forced himself to stand until he stood in a shaky stance, his legs nearly folding underneath him at every moment. Drake had his head down, his eyes out of view as he spoke. "There's a Japanese proverb I remember you teaching me. One of the few things I remember about you that has stuck with me throughout the years."

The older man raised an eyebrow, curious to know what his son was thinking. "Oh? And what might that proverb be?"

Drake jerked his head up, flashed his normal cocky grin, and then raised his fists into boxing positions. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight!"

At last Masue smiled and beckoned his son to attack. Drake let out a roar and charged towards him, fists at the ready. Masue moved his head to the left slightly to avoid the jab from the right, and then brought his knee up towards his son's stomach. Immediately Drake countered by lifting his own left leg and stopping the strike. "I'm fighting you with more than just anger and frustration old man! I'm fighting you with all the determination that I've got!"

Masue's eyes widened as Drake jerked his left leg down and between Masue's own feet and planted it firmly on the ground. Then he used that foot as a pivoting point, sliding his body around Masue completely. Then in the same movement he brought the elbow of his left arm into the back of Masue's head. _'He switched from a street style to karate in an instant!'_

The older man caught his footing quickly but his head was ringing from the sharp blow. Using the momentum provided by the blow he spun himself around and prepared for a follow up. Drake saw his mistake and spat a glob of blood out onto the ground. _'Damn, I didn't compensate well enough to the change over and the speed of the blow and I missed the base of his spine. If I had hit that he might have been out, but instead it just hurt him.'_

Masue smirked in a manner very reminiscent of his own son's and then returned to his normal stance. "Good. But you'll have to step it up if you really want to surpass me."

"Oi, old man! I always hit the ground running and now is no different. I'll surpass you even if it kills me!" Letting out another challenging shout he charged again, this time determined to beat his father into the dirt.

_'Your determination is strong, but it won't be enough for what will come. You've gotten by on guts, determination, and raw talent in the past but it won't cut it any longer. All your skills must be honed to perfection and you must recover your passion and find the reason you fight! You must choose your own dream to fight for!'_

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The mood was somber for everyone in Kyoto as they left the hotel. Or at least it was mostly somber since the discovery of Isis' death. Ihami was completely unaffected and was in fact whistling at that very moment in a corner of the room as the rest of them sat in a circle and discussed their next move.

It was apparent that there was no way of finding who had murdered Isis at the time being. Even Ihami, who they at first suspected, was proven to have an alibi. The people in the rooms next to Ihami's were able to vouch for her as they had heard her and some man having sex through most of the night.

The hotel manager, who was apparently in his late twenties and Ihami's choice for the night, had been absolutely horrified to discover a murder on the premises. Although finding out who had murdered Isis was important they chose to use magic to silence the manager, because if police got involved then all of them would be questioned and lose precious time.

Dalin cast a pointed glance at the whistling Ihami who just grinned in response. "There is no point delaying any longer. Take us to the Puppeteer as you promised. There is no time to waste. To have killed one of our number under our noses means that the enemy, whoever he may be, is becoming restless and taking action."

Ihami flashed him a sultry smile and sauntered over. She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in close so that they were eye to eye. "Why Dalin, so forward! Trying to get the meeting with the Puppeteer out of the way so you can get into my pants faster eh?"

Dalin met her seductive gaze with his stone cold one, and Ihami sighed and moved away. "Sheesh, you're such a spoil sport sometimes Sumatin. Or rather, all of the time. Fine, I'll do as I promised and take you to the Puppeteer. It's easier if you know what to look for."

Alice let out a sigh of relief as soon as Ihami moved away from Dalin. "What do you have to look for? And why are you the person we had to come to in order to find the Puppeteer?"

The immortal Egyptian crossed the room in the blink of an eye and was suddenly sitting in Alice's lap, one arm wrapped around her neck. Alice yelped as Ihami grinned and tapped a finger on her nose. "You're eager to know my secrets is that it? You trying to get into my pants as well?"

"S-shut up and just tell us okay!" Ihami smirked, but didn't get up. She just moved in closer and laid her head against Alice's shoulder, staring up at the young woman with her big violet eyes. Across the room Hikari shuddered, feeling like she was watching herself cuddle up to Alice.

"It's simple. I'm immortal. I know it sounds too simple, but basically that's it. When I absorbed the lives of thousands of people and therefore achieved immortality I rose above the level of normal mortals and my existence changed. The type of life energy that flows through me from the universe is completely different from that which flows through mortals. Just like a mortal with training can feel the energy of another mortal I can feel the energy of beings like myself. And the Puppeteer is something I can sense at all times as it pervades much of the world. Plus I had sex with it one time."

Rishid spat out the water he was drinking, Alice and Hikari jerked back in horror, and even Dalin quirked an eyebrow. Unable to contain himself Rishid spoke up. "You…had sex with an immortal being responsible for the management of the Apocalypse?"

Ihami smirked and flashed him a thumbs. "Yep! Well, sort of. You guys have a weird view on the Puppeteer, but that'll be fixed soon. See, it wanted a little bit of information for it, so I exchanged information for sex. And you have no idea the tricks a being picks up after millennia of existence. I learned most of my best tricks from it."

Hikari dropped her head into her hands and began to rub at the bridge of her nose. She wished her ears didn't work right about then. "I'd say that's the most disturbing thing about sex I've ever heard, but I've been listening to you for a few hours so it might not even reach the top ten."

The other woman clapped her hands together and stood up, leaving a relieved Alice sitting alone in her chair. "Alright then! Let's get to work shall we!"

Ihami closed her eyes took a very deep breath. Everyone waited with baited breath as Ihami made whatever preparations she needed to get them to the Puppeteer. Finally Ihami's eyes snapped back open. At the top of her lungs Ihami began to shout. **"OI! PUPPETEER! GET YOUR FUCKING ASS IN HERE! WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOU RUDE ASSHOLE! NOW COME OUT!"**

Everyone in the room but Dalin twitched and stared at her for several seconds like she was a lunatic. Finally Alice burst out of her chair and pointed a furious shaking finger at the immortal. "That's it! That's your idea of getting in touch with the Puppeteer! We could have freaking shouted at it too if we wanted to!"

Dalin narrowed his eyes and a chill fell over the room as the door creaked open and a tall man stepped through, rubbing a finger in his ear. His red hair hung wildly and his eyes were the color of a robin's egg. "Damn it Ihami, you didn't have to shout so loudly. You knew I was outside the door the whole time, you could have just opened it."

The red haired man raised a hand in greeting and promptly sat down on the bed. Everyone stared at him, and Ihami promptly sat down at his side and snuggled up against him. "Yo. My name is Ukito Yamagata, and I'm a consultant for a law firm based in Tokyo, I'm on a business trip here to Kyoto. Oh, and I'm also a receptacle of the being you call the Puppeteer. How do you do?"

The man calling himself Ukito bowed slightly, and only out of years of indoctrination in Japanese formality and tradition allowed Hikari to automatically bow in response. The others, who had no such indoctrination, simply stared at Ukito. Finally Alice got her voice back. "I'm sorry, I don't get it. I was expecting some sort of grand evil being or something. You're really the guy in charge of the Apocalypse? And what do you meant by receptacle?"

Ukito glanced at Ihami out of the corner of his big blue eyes, and she moved away. He let out a deep breath and suddenly his appearance changed, becoming that of a middle aged Japanese man with black hair with streaks of gray in it and dull brown eyes. Then seconds later he shifted back into the form he had first appeared in. "By receptacle I mean that the actual thing you call the Puppeteer is a being that exists not on a normal physical plane but rather as an astral one, and its consciousness expands between tens of thousands of people all around the world. Not to mention other beings in other realms."

Dalin nodded. "I see, so in reality the Puppeteer is not one being, but rather a collective of individuals sharing a consciousness as well as separate minds and bodies. That is why it is said that the Puppeteer cannot be killed. Because there is no real body to slay, just receptacles."

The red haired man nodded in return and flashed an almost feral smile at Dalin. "Yes, that's the case. I would like to add you to my consciousness, but unfortunately I can't do that with you. Of course I can with anyone who is willing to make an exchange with me. Something they want for becoming part of them. Or I make exchanges in order to get information, such as I did with Ihami and as I did with Hikari."

Hikari jumped to her feet and stumbled away from the man. "What are you talking about? I've never met you before! I didn't make any deal with you! I wouldn't make a deal with the devil!"

Ukito sighed and held out his right hand. A tiny image of a man identical to Ukito speaking to Hikari appeared above his palm. "Not me specifically, but a receptacle that resides in the Darkness Realm called Ichijigoku. In exchange for being able to see, hear, and experience whatever you do I used my power to remove the disease that was your bane from your family line forever. Then par our agreement you forgot all about it. That's why I had someone here waiting for you; I knew you were coming and that you were here. I've been waiting for this meeting for some time."

Hikari's eyes were filled with horror that she had made what amounted to a deal with the devil. Slowly she returned to her seat and Dalin took her place, standing so that he towered over the smaller Ukito. "You made no verbal response when you were called the grand evil in charge of the Apocalypse. However, your eyes and face said clearly 'You misunderstand me'. I wish to understand you."

Alice stared up at Dalin, her eyes wide with awe. Hikari and Rishid just watched him carefully, feeling chilled. _'Senpai…he can read a person's features so well! That must be why he's so great at everything. Those green eyes pierce through all layers of deception and unravel the truth!'_

The red haired receptacle brushed hair away from his blue eyes and met Dalin's. "You're wise Sumatin, as wise as I would expect from one such as you. Yes, the truth is that I am not the one in charge of the Apocalypse. Rather…I will somehow be responsible for it. I have no idea how, but that is the case, that is where that belief came from. Most likely it is something I have already done that will cause the Apocalypse."

Ihami sidled up to Ukito's side and wrapped an arm around him, her violet eyes meeting Dalin's green ones. "Everyone misunderstands him, but in truth he's really just a collector of information. For as long as he's existed that has been what he's done, he has collected information. He is the greatest receptacle of information in the universe. Nobody knows more than he does."

Ukito patted her arm and smiled at her, but the smile was hiding a frown. "Yes, that has been my goal for as long as I have lived. Even before I became what people now call the Puppeteer. Back when this shape you see before you…was my real form."

Dalin was the only one of the group to not gasp in shock. Instead he nodded his head ever so slightly. "Just as I suspected from the moment I learned of you, having previously met Ihami. It is a matter of evolution isn't it? You were once human, but evolved to this state somehow."

"Correct. Of course even when I was still human I desired knowledge, I was curious even as a little boy. But nobody in my clan believed that there was any use for knowledge. For them simple inventions such as pointy sticks and the wonder of fire were enough for anyone. But I couldn't be satisfied…I had to know. And so I reached further and further…" Ukito's eyes had taken on a nostalgic look, and his tone was similarly nostalgic.

Rishid bit his lip, his memory bringing to mind the being that they had met in Egypt. _'He claimed to have at one point been just like us. Was he also someone who was once human but through great effort achieved a higher state? Like Ihami?'_

Their unspoken leader raised his right hand, which was covered by the Icon of Osiris. Silver energy crackled around it, and suddenly it burst into blue flame, which surrounded his body. "The power that I have felt from you since the moment you entered this room and showed us your true face. It is similar to that which I feel at this very moment. It echoes that power. The power of a Heart of Man. Is that what you reached in your efforts?"

The blue fire died down and Ukito nibbled at his lip, as if making a decision. "In a manner of speaking, yes it is. Rather…the power that I reached was the base raw energy that flows through the universe and that only gods can touch. It filled me, made me as a god was. And my human flesh was obliterated by that power, making me as I am."

Hikari crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side, her brows furrowed. "Something about that sounds familiar. Like I've heard it before somewhere. But the where and from who is the thing I can't quite remember."

Dalin glanced back at her, and then instantly returned his attention to Ukito. "Yes, it is something we've heard before. In other words you were the first human being to ever touch the power that would eventually be diluted into the form we know today as magic. You were the true Heart of Man. The one that in terms of today's believed history…was Adam, who ate from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Life and Death and was expelled from Eden."

"Again you hit the nail on the head as usual. Truly Sumatin it is impossible to get anything past you. Yes, I was the true Heart of Man. And my own curiosity led me to expand my consciousness into other humans, and eventually some of them sired children. That ability to touch greater power was spread, and so came all those capable of using magic and those capable of using the Hearts of Man. It is with great regret that I understand that likely that one event is why I am responsible for the Apocalypse."

Hikari put a hand against her chest and leaned forwards, worry in her eyes. "What do you mean? Are you saying that just because you spread the ability to use magic you caused the eventual Apocalypse? How can it be possible that the magic that our blood can touch is such a horrible thing?"

Ukito lowered his head, his bangs falling across his eyes. "I'm afraid it's very complicated, and I can't really explain it all to you in simple terms. Would you like me to try and explain to you the nature of the power that I touched?"

Collectively the group nodded, eager and yet worried to hear what he had to say. Despite the implications that they were learning forbidden secrets they knew they couldn't stop now. No matter what happened they had to hear him out. Because it was human kind's curse, just as it had been his. Curiosity.

"Have you ever heard of Gaia Theory, or Daisy World?" When all Ukito got were blank stares he smiled and stood. With one finger he drew a circle in mid-air, and it revolved, becoming a floating sphere identical to the Earth.

"Imagine Earth as it exists to us. Earth is one planet of nine in our Solar System, not particularly large. Our star is one of two hundred billion in our galaxy, and our galaxy is one of hundreds of billions if not trillions of galaxies in the Universe. Individually every person in this room, even myself, is very small and insignificant. Your individual actions can no more harm the Universe than you could break the Earth apart with your rage." As he spoke the room was filled with stars and galaxies, expanding them seemingly forever outwards.

"Yet as insignificant as every living being is individually, as insignificant as Earth itself is in the grand scheme of things….together we have an effect on everything. You see, Gaia Theory proposes that Earth acts like a living organism, that it is constantly being balanced by the efforts of every living thing on it, from the largest tree to the smallest microbe. One person cannot harm or heal the Earth, but all together they can do so." The image refocused on the Earth, where thousands of points of light were shining off of it.

"If we pollute the world then the other parts of the living organism of Gaia, or Earth, work together to fix the problem. Earth is an organism in much the same way that human beings and other microorganisms are. You see, a human being is made up of trillions of different working parts, including microscopic organisms that are necessary for the human body to function." The image became a human being lying flat, with thousands of little lines running through the body, making it work.

"Even those tiny little microscopic organisms are run by other tiny things, such as DNA and RNA. Even the tiniest of cellular structures is needed for an atom to function. Such an infinitely complex process just to keep a single atom functioning, and it is exponentially expanded as the complexity of the organism increases, as the size increases. So every time we rise outwards the process involved in keeping the structure function becomes infinitely more complex, so the process involved in keeping the Earth function is just as out of reach of understanding to the normal human as the overall functioning of a human is to a single bacteria cell."

Dalin was the only one who didn't look confused. He simply looked focused, hanging on every word that Ukito was speaking, analyzing it and coming to terms with it. Before Ukito could continue Dalin spoke up. "By your implication the Universe itself functions in the manner that Gaia Theory proposes Earth does. Every minor tiny aspect down to the smallest is involved in the upkeep of the Universe. So while individually human beings are of no consequence, together they do have some impact."

Ukito nodded solemnly and banished the image that had been hanging in the air. "Yes, the Universe is much like a living organism, only on a far larger scale than even I can possible comprehend. And at the top of the food chain, acting like the organs of a human being are the force of power that governs all even without thought that is conscious in the way that humans are."

The blonde haired giant turned away and walked to the window. He looked out at the city, watching as people scurried about, going through their business without a care in the world that they were merely tiny cells used to keep a much larger structure functioning. "The organs that run the Universe, those are what we have heard of. The Essences."

"Yes, that's correct again. The Essences are a raw force of thought and power that expand through everything without form, but always functioning. They oversee it all without thinking of it. They are the organs that run it all, they keep the power flowing that keeps the Universe active, keeps it from falling apart. Much like human organs supply energy and other necessary functions to the human." He raised his hand, and in it was a beating heart. When he closed his hand the heart was gone, nowhere to be seen.

Alice gulped, and gathered her courage to speak. She wanted to be part of this, wanted to know what the man she admired seemed to have already figured out. "Okay, if all of that's true and we just help keep the Universe functioning, then why was your birth and the spreading of your bloodline such a bad thing? How could that be responsible for the breakdown of the Universe?"

"An excellent question and one with a complicated answer. To do so I suppose I might have to explain the difference between people such as you, those like Ihami, and those like me, the gods, and so on. But really…I don't think I'm going to have to try and explain." He sighed and glanced at the door. Ihami crossed the room and pulled open the door, revealing someone to be on the other side.

Ihami stared down at the little boy who looked back at her calmly, although his eyes held a 'caught in the cookie jar' look to them. "So, you've been listening in have you? I thought you dropped off the face of the Earth, but it looks like you've gotten involved."

The little kid, who looked no more than ten years old, giggled and stuck a hand behind the back of his head. "Heh, looks like I got found out. I can't stay out of this forever, I'm as much a part of the Universe as you are old lady."

Ihami snorted and grabbed the kid by the collar, pushing him through the door. He chuckled and squirmed out from her grip, jumping up onto the bed where he immediately began to bounce up and down. "Brat, you're way older than I am, so don't insult me."

The kid giggled and flopped down on his stomach. He placed his chin in his hands and looked up at the group, grinning wider than should be possible. "Old lady you're really cranky, and so are the rest of you. I thought humans were about having fun, right?"

Dalin's eyes narrowed at he stared at the little child. Although it was concealed very well he could feel a trace of power from the boy, something he knew. "You are…."

"Wait, don't guess yet! I wanna give you guys a hint! Here, I've got this!" He snapped his fingers and an object popped out of thin air. He leapt up onto his feet and caught it before it could fall. Then he brandished it, giving them all a good look.

It was a white mask with red in two different corners. It was a mask that Dalin, Hikari, and even Rishid recognized well. Dalin looked up from the mask and into the boy's eyes. "You are Eikyuu, just as I suspected."

The little boy, who somehow was none other than the God of Order Eikyuu, grinned and gave them the victory sign. "Bingo! You got it in one shot. Of course I could have returned to that old appearance, but this is the one I've had for nearly six years now. So it would be rude of me to just drop it. Of course with the end of all things coming I figured it would be best of me to put a hand in. After all, I'm a god of order, and I can't very well have chaos consume the Universe during my watch, can I?"

Hikari looked absolutely flabbergasted, and just barely managed to point a shocked finger at him. "You…so this is what happened to you? You disappeared and assumed the guise of a human boy? But…why?"

Eikyuu shrugged and dropped into a seated position with his legs crossed. "The words of mankind reached me and told me that at the time they didn't need my type of order. So I chose to try and make myself understand mankind in order to once again serve them appropriately. In addition, people still worship me, so I still exist."

"Because people worship you that means you exist? I'm not sure I follow." Eikyuu looked over at Alice, who appeared very confused. She hadn't been around during Eikyuu's brief reign over the planet, so didn't know anything that wasn't second or third hand about the god.

"That's what I'm here to explain. Well, I'm also here for other reasons, but that's first. You see, it works like this. I'm different than most gods in my origin. Originally I was merely a meteor with ambient energy absorbed from millions of years of travel through the stars. I wish worshiped and given form and consciousness by many people and all of that energy evolved, becoming what to humans is called a god. But most gods…they start as humans, or some other sentient race." Ihami stepped up at this point and put a hand on Eikyuu's head, ruffling his dark hair.

She used her right hand to point to herself with her thumb and smirked. "That's where I come in. A human that garners enough energy into themselves through whatever method, such as I did when I absorbed the lives of thousands of people, they are able to touch a different level of power and forcefully are evolved to a higher state that might be called that of an immortal or demi-god. Things like devas and angels generally are people like this. Demons and other such evil creatures generally were at one point evil humans who also achieved this state."

Eikyuu pouted and brushed her arm off his head, then proceeded to sit himself down in her lap. "I'm telling the story old lady."

"Shut up you ancient brat!" To their surprise she punched him on the top of the head, and he merely scowled up at her before returning to face them.

"So basically what happens after that step is the step that is generally called godhood. It is apotheosis, the process of becoming a god. In this state the powers of that being are drawn more directly from the universe than is possible. They are enormously powerful, and at first they do not require worship. Yet as time goes on and they draw on more and more power from the Universe they start to evolve further. But beyond this state…what exists besides the Essences? The first and all subsequent gods didn't know, and they were afraid." He raised his head to stare at the ceiling, and he looked surprisingly pensive for a ten year old.

"In their fear of taking that next step to the unknown they tried all sorts of methods of remaining where they were. At first they could absorb any type of energy other than the raw Universal energy in order to remain where they were. Although it weakened them slightly it seemed enough. But like a person who eats only the same food every day for years they found themselves unsatisfied, and that type of energy no longer could hold them bound in that state of evolution. They were once again at risk of losing the bonds of the physical realm and becoming something they couldn't comprehend." When they saw they look in his eyes, they all wondered if this was a fear he himself had. Of that unknowable place beyond godhood.

"The gods continued to try other types of energy, but bit by bit just as with the first attempts it would fail. Eventually they would discover a type of energy of enormous abundance that seemed to satiate them more than any other. The energy formed by worship. Eventually this too will cease to satisfy them and they will either be forced to face the great unknown, or become like Apep." At the mention of the dark god that had formed their feared enemy they all perked up, more interested now than they had been.

"If a god take's Apep's path it instead consumes the living energy of souls and the energy of gods by consuming them in order to maintain its state. In this way such a god maintains their base power, not being weakened by being forced to feed on lesser forms of energy. Yet Apep is in a cycle, and it unsatisfied. It can find nothing else to satisfy it, no energy to keep it in its present state. So it instead, as you well know, chose to destroy the Universe rather than brave that great beyond. So it created the Hand of Apep, and the Avatar of Apep whom you know as the Dark Spirit. But what all the gods have failed to see before me, and I only see because of how different I am, is why the gods exist."

Rishid, who believed heavily in the Egyptian gods of old, found this view of gods hard to take in all at once. So he felt that he had to know more, had to know it all to come to terms with his own beliefs. "Why? Why do gods exist?"

"To be part of the system. Gods act as a way of channeling the raw energy of the Universe, focusing it. When more of it needs to be channeled a new god is born, thus keeping the Universe in a consistent state. But the gods are denying that natural cycle. By refusing to evolve they would have clogged up the Universe and absorbed too much of its energy, in which case the Universe would likely use gods like Apep and Fenrir to cull the herd. However…because they sought other forms of energy to maintain them, instead of just clogging up the Universe they aren't absorbing enough raw energy at all. That energy is like energy in a human being, it has to be used or else damage is done to the structure."

To their surprise it was Ukito who took up the explanation, as he plucked something from his pocket and held it up. It was a red rubbery object that as he put to his lips they recognized as a balloon. He blew it up, and then held it up to them. "Picture this as the Universe. It is full of air, or energy. It holds a dynamic in the amount of air within. Although it isn't obvious air slowly is released from tiny spaces in the rubber, much like how the Universe releases raw energy through the gods. But…"

Ukito put he balloon up to his lips and began to blow more air into it. It expanded and looked ready to pop at a moment's notice, so he pulled his lips away and blocked the end with his fingers. "Without the gods to release the energy the Universe becomes like this balloon, bloated with energy. It had to find a way to release some of that energy, and it attempted to in the form of me. I was a human that was forcibly accelerated into touching that raw power. They hoped to continue this, but I was mistake."

He waved his free hand at each of them and looked grim as he spoke. "I'm afraid that it was a costly mistake. Instead of acting like a release point as they wished I was permanently stuck in this state, not able to move farther. In addition I prevented the forces that govern the Universe from using other humans in this process by introducing my own power into the bloodstream. Magic was a diluted form of that raw energy, and did nothing to help. Those exposed to it could not be used, and my power bled throughout the dimensions. My existence prevented anything other than normal evolution into godhood. And so because of my mistake the Universe is nearly too bloated with energy, and that raw energy will shortly begin to tear down the barriers of the realms and destroy everything, including itself."

Dalin glanced down at his left hand and then clenched it into a fist. "There are patches of some form of energy, a dark energy, which I have felt bleeding into this reality. I believed that closing them might delay the end of all things, but it appears I was wrong. That is the sign that the Universe can no longer hold all of its energy."

Ukito glanced at Ihami and Eikyuu out of the corner of his eyes, and then sighed. "I'm afraid that's not entirely accurate. I'm terrible at this explanation, so I'll leave it be for the moment. That energy is being bled from a part of the Universe that is the Yin to this part of the Universe's Yang. Dark to light. It is the reverse of this side, the opposite side of the coin of the Universe. Technically the Universe should still have hundreds of billions of years left to find a solution to the problem of energy bloating, but a terrifying evil has and still is attempting to tear apart the barriers between all parts of the Universe. If this succeeds then the Universe will be destroyed, and as things stand that will happen. That is what you must stop, that ancient evil from breaking those barriers. The Universe itself cannot be saved by you, but its destruction can be delayed so that the Essences may find a new solution. That is your task."

Hikari raised a hand tentavily, feeling like the kid in the back of the class, speaking up in front of the much smarter students. Somehow she felt really out of place amongst wise and knowledgeable people like Dalin, Ihami, Eikyuu, and the Puppeteer. "What exactly is the evil? And how do we stop it?"

Ukito frowned and rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "Hmm…I'm not sure how to describe this evil, except to say that…well it is chained only through the will of many gods. It is considered to be the manifestation of the Essence of Destruction, which the gods chained billions of years ago. From what I know it is just like the gods, only it wasn't afraid."

Alice felt a chill run down her spine. Somehow she knew what he meant, and it terrified her. "You mean…this evil was a god that wasn't afraid of that great unknown? It's what a god could become?"

The red haired receptacle bobbed his head in the affirmative, and again a chill ran down Alice's spine. "Yes. When it came into existence I don't know, all I know is that now it exists both within and outside even my own conception of time and space. There exist three seals on it, maintained by three immortals. Unfortunately one seal is broken as the immortal is dead and no replacement exists. With the set incomplete I estimate just a month before the next seal is destroyed. When that happens the realms will begin to truly bleed together. If the final seal breaks, that evil will be fully unleashed and it will only be a matter of time before the end comes, before night consumes everything."

Now left behind in her knowledge, Ihami felt the need to contribute again. She hated being left behind. "So what needs to be done? How do we stop this from coming to pass?"

Ukito held up his right hand and three pillars of energy appeared above it. One was pitch black, another was white, and the second was emerald in color. "You must locate the Pillars of Existance and prepare them; I cannot tell you more than that about them. They represent what was, what is, and what might come to pass. Past, Present, and Future. Without them the Apocalypse cannot be prevented. In addition you must locate the five Seals of Death, which can be used to create temporary seals within humans to substitute a broken seal, but only if you can locate an immortal."

Eikyuu hopped off the bed and snapped his thumb and middle finger together. Instantly a map appeared in front of him and rotated about so they could see it. Five different points appeared on the map. "Each of these locations is where one of the five Seals of Death are located. You will find that they are being guarded by the five High Priests of my Order. They will not give them up easily, and I cannot change that. The Seals of Death must be won, they cannot be given."

Dalin motioned with his hand for the rest of them to stand, and they did so immediately. He walked to the door and pulled it open, then looked back at Ukito and Eikyuu. "I wish to discuss more with you in private. Then we will depart immediately."

Eikyuu held up a finger and grinned broadly. "One last thing before the rest of you depart. You'll need all the strong allies you can get. In particular you'll need the aid of the Knights of Wind and Earth in order to succeed. Of course, neither will easily give their help, especially to you."

Dalin nodded and ushered everyone else out. Then he shut the door and tapped on it twice, mentally creating a barrier that would hide sound. "I have recently come across information of great significance. I want to know more about it, and whatever you can tell me about my own past."

Ukito smirked, having known this would be coming. "But of course. Unfortunately since it doesn't threaten my own existence this one will cost you. Are you willing to give me something in return for the information I can provide?"

"Of course. Whatever you want, I am willing to give." Ukito and Eikyuu exchanged glances, and seconds later Eikyuu faded away.

The red haired man focused his deep blue eyes on Dalin once again and intertwined his fingers, then proceeded to rest his chin on those fingers. "I want something of great significance that I believe only you can get me. It will not be easy, but it is the price I demand. Nothing else will do."

"Name your price."

Ukito raised an eyebrow, pretending surprise at how easily Dalin accepted without even knowing his demand. Of course he was not truly surprised, because he knew more about Dalin than the man knew himself. "I think we can do business."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And the plot thickens.

_Next Time: In order to deal with some of the threats that have gathered more aid is needed, and after a number of years a confrontation is brewing between two old opponents. In order to gain the aid of this foe Dalin must battle with his all or be destroyed by the hatred that remains within his opponent. Dalin must go toe to toe with the Dark Thief of the Desert once again!_

_See it all in, Nikolas' Vendetta!_


	29. Nikolas' Vendetta

Author's Note: After a number of years the time has come at last for the Dark Thief of the Desert to try his hand at vengeance once more.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nikolas' Vendetta**

_Dalin rolled his body and came up in a crouch, facing the direction that the attack had come from. What he saw was another chunk of plaster hurtling towards him. This time was different however, because he was ready._

_His muscles bunched and his arm reared back, readying it for the plaster to come in range. As soon as it was he threw the punch, breaking the plaster into tiny pieces. A shower of dust rained down upon him, but he remained unharmed. "Knight of Darkness...Knight of Air...so you would be the third knight. Come out Knight of Earth."_

_A white cloaked form emerged from the sand. The same knight that had confronted him on two different occasions. The first time when Kai dueled Kevin, and the second time when he had defeated Rose. "I wasn't expecting a direct attack this soon. But now I'm ready."_

"_Ready? The only thing you should be ready for is death!" The knight made a sweeping motion with his right hand, and as it went the ground beneath his arm began to break apart. A line of the broken earth extended outwards at great speed heading straight for Dalin._

_Dalin's body was conditioned to great action, so he jumped forwards and used a broken piece of flooring as a stepping stone, hurling himself at the knight. "HAAAAA!"_

_He swung his fist down towards the knight, but the white robed form exploded into dust right before Dalin's fist could connect. Dalin spun on his heel, swinging with his left arm as he did so to give the blow more power. His guess proved correct as his opponent was forced to dodge the strike._

_Dalin knew he had to keep his enemy from disappearing again, so thinking quickly he acted. With one powerful kick he hurled a floorboard at the knight. Just as he had expected a column of earth rose from the ground to block the board. 'That's my opening!'_

_Jumping towards the column of earth he wrapped his left arm around it, and used his momentum to swing him all the way around it. His sudden appearance caught the knight off guard, and his knuckles collided powerfully with the robed warrior's face._

_The strength of the strike tossed the knight backwards. He bounced against the ground painfully, and when he did hit the ground again his hood fell away. Dalin stopped his advance on the warrior as he saw his suspicions confirmed. "One eye..."_

_His enemy picked himself up and took a hold of the top of his robe. In one motion he hurled it off, revealing his desert garb beneath. He sneered and with a flick of his wrist brought a knife into his hand. "What's wrong? Don't like your handiwork?"_

"_My handiwork? What are you talking about?" The thief sneered in response and placed a hand on the eye patch. He peeled it away, revealing a puckered and aged wound, with a scar running down from his brow to the middle of his cheek._

"_You did this to me...you ruined everything! Now I Nikolas Selket will make you suffer for every person you have harmed! Prepare for death Sumatin!" Nikolas slammed his knife into the ground, burying it up the hilt. Now that his attention was on the knife his hand fell away from the eye patch, letting it cover up once again._

_Dalin readied himself to move, drawing on some of the energies within his body. He had natural magic that he could use in this fight, and he also had the strength of the Icon of Osiris. "I don't know what you're talking about Selket."_

_Nick growled and pulled the knife up and up and up. The knife had become a sword, the minerals of the earth drawn into it to transform it. "LIAR! NOW DIE!"_

Back in the present, nearly six years later, Dalin found himself in deep contemplation. His initial encounter with Nikolas Selket, Knight of Earth, had been far from a pleasant one. Nikolas had attempted to kill him, and failing that he had begun a deadly duel between the two.

"_YOU! Back then you stripped away all that mattered to me and left me as an empty shell! In the years since I have filled myself with hatred for you. I'm steeped in it. Now that hatred will flow from me to you, and you will know the extent of my pain! I'll make you live out every second of it!"_

The words were clear in his head as if it were just the other day. He had been in a number of battles within the past that he remembered, but something about that battle stood out to him the most. It was if no matter how far he came, no matter where he went or what he did that Nikolas Selket was someone who he was destined or cursed to face again.

"_This is my power Dalin Imaki Sumatin! MY HATE FOR YOU!"_

None of the others understood what heading to the home of Nikolas Selket actually meant. They hadn't understood the Puppeteer's words about the difficulty of getting his aid. None of them had been there when the two fated opponents met on the field of battle for the first time. They couldn't possible understand.

"_Let me tell you, it's taking every bit of my will to resist the urge to slit your throat like you did to them."_

It was only possible to comprehend what stood between them if you encountered it face to face as one of the two. Onlookers wouldn't understand the feelings of the two as they had stood face to face. The accuser and the accused, and no matter how much time had passed it was impossible for that hatred to have faded. Though the Universe itself might end, Dalin was certain that Nikolas Selket's desire to make him suffer and die would not change.

"_I've been resisting the urge since I first saw you. But I decided I might give you a chance. A chance that you didn't give the ones closest to me. But I've decided against that."_

"_You've had your chance to live. Now, there's no escape. It took me a while to think of a way to make you pay for everything you've done to me. But now I've found one. I suppose I should do what they would do in Egypt. You know, they cut off your hand if you're caught stealing."_

"_Of course it wasn't your hand that did the killing. It was your black heart that did it. But I have so much more in store for you. There is no way I can make you feel the pain I have felt for over five years, but I'm sure I can get pretty close. It's just like the old saying."_

"_An eye for an eye."_

Nikolas' desire of vengeance was incredibly powerful, and it drove him onwards. In addition he had a stronger bond with his own cards than any Dalin had ever experienced. In order to truly defeat Nikolas' Selket in a duel, a daunting task on its own, one had to defeat the army at his disposal.

"_Ever since I began playing this game the Dark Scorpions have been with me, and by uniting with their strength my own is magnified! Working together we become an unstoppable force, and we will win!"_

Most players considered the Dark Scorpions to be weak, worthless cards that were impossible to make work and be worth it. They were virtually never played by professional duelists. However, Nikolas' special connection allowed him to be very powerful with them. He had been strong when Dalin faced him, and in the past six years he was certain to have grown even stronger.

Nikolas' vengeance was…pure in its own way. It could not be stopped, could not be countered. It was impossible to talk him out of it; it was only possible to delay him temporarily. Whether through defeat or confusion, it didn't matter. Eventually, Nikolas would return to settle the score. Dalin had always known that.

"_You...you act like you're innocent of any crime, but you're the wicked one here! You took everything I had from me and cast me into the abyss to flounder, grasping for a ray of hope!"_

Dalin had attempted to tell Nikolas that he truly did not know if he was the one responsible for the tragedy that had befallen Nikolas, the tragedy of his parents' murder and the loss of his eye. He had tried to tell him that his past was hidden in shadow, so he couldn't know. But it hadn't mattered. Nikolas wouldn't listen.

"_You say that, but I know it's just another lie! You're trying to make me doubt, but I know in my heart that it was you, I know no matter what that my target is Dalin Imaki Sumatin, the bastard who murdered my parents before my very eyes!"_

Words asking for discretion had only proved to anger Nikolas. Dalin's own declaration that he served justice had been rebuked, and Nikolas had only been further enraged. It didn't matter that Nikolas knew Dalin wielded the Heart of Justice. He couldn't see the man he believed murdered his parents in any sort of positive light.

"_You're no sending of justice! The justice to be dealt is mine, and I am its sending! I am a weapon of justice, sent to strike you down for the sins of your past! Now greet your forebears as you reach your deserved resting place. GO TO HELL!"_

Nikolas was not untouchable however. He was human, and therefore vulnerable to all that other humans are vulnerable to. Shakespeare had once said 'conscience makes cowards of us all' and that was as true of Nikolas as it was for anyone else.

Ultimately in their duel Dalin had created a combo that assured victory. But instead of taking the sure path, he chose to leave the result of the duel up to Nikolas, hanging his fate upon Nikolas' conscience. Could Nikolas really convict someone easily who willingly gave their life to him? It was a question that had boggled Nikolas, and likely still did.

"_I don't understand...you know I hate you, you know I despise all that you are. Why are you doing this?"_

Confounded by his own conscience, Nikolas had made his choice. He couldn't make the choice that he wanted to at that time; he simply couldn't get past the fact that no matter how much hatred existed within him, he was still a human being with morals and values.

"_I've made my choice and I choose….innocent. For now, I'll declare you innocent. But my hatred won't die, it can't die. Even if I wanted to destroy it, the only way to remove my hatred would be for one of the two of us to die. So for the moment, I'll let you go free. But know that we'll face each other again, and ultimately one of us must die. Enjoy what remains of your life Sumatin. Next time we meet, one of us will die."_

That had been the last time that Dalin had seen Nikolas, and he knew as surely as he knew his own eye color that the hatred that Nikolas Selket had for him had not faded even one iota. He knew that after these past six years that man's hatred for him would be just as strong as ever.

Dalin stared out the window of the Boeing 747 as it made its way across the Atlantic towards Cairo. He watched the clouds below them, and contemplated the past and the confrontation that was coming in just a handful of hours. _'Nikolas…one way or another, you will have your conclusion.'_

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Nikolas Selket, beyond being a magically imbued individual who hated Dalin Imaki Sumatin with every fiber of his being, was a thief. He was a very good thief in fact, and had never been caught, save once. It was likely that he was the best thief in the world, and he had earned the nickname 'Thief King of the Desert Sands'.

On his own will, after becoming the Knight of Earth, he changed that nickname. He declared himself to be the 'Dark Thief of the Desert', but the change of name didn't matter. He was infamous, even though his actual name wasn't known in most circles. Police hated him around the world, those with precious artifacts or supposedly state of the art security systems feared him.

It wasn't that they saw the terrifying darkness he was capable of. No, that was reserved specifically for Dalin Imaki Sumatin and no one else saw it. It was rather that no matter how high tech the security systems were made, no matter how hard the police tried…he just couldn't be caught.

Nikolas Selket, based on thieving skills alone, could have been one of the wealthiest men in the world. But he wasn't, despite his prodigious skill. He wasn't for two reasons. The first was the same reason he couldn't at first declare Dalin guilty. His conscience told him that stealing was wrong, that he had learned the trade to survive and that abusing it was wrong. So he had to struggle against those words.

The second reason confounded police and those who made state of the art security systems. Many times it would be discovered that after successfully stealing a particularly difficult to come across item he would return it. The reason was that he desired a challenge. He had grown so skilled at stealing that he couldn't stop himself, and he wanted the challenge.

All of these facts boiled down to one thing. Nikolas Selket was very good at what he did, and excellent thieves were not easy to find. That was why, after eight years of grand larceny, he was still walking the streets.

This is why Nikolas Selket was able to sit at home, casually eating a bowl of Cocoa Krispies, without a worry in the world that anyone would be walking right up to his house knowing exactly who he was. He particularly didn't expect to have breakfast interrupted by people wanting to recruit him into an effort to save the Universe from its destruction.

Least of all he had never expected to have his breakfast interrupted, to open the door, and find himself staring straight at the one person he hated to the core standing there.

And that was why people were currently fleeing the streets, running for their lives.

The outer wall of a small building exploded inwards, and the occupants screamed and tried to retreat, avoiding the booth that had literally been hurled through the wall. Dalin currently stood on the roof of the building, staring across the street at Nick, who was glaring up at him, having just using a wave of sand to hurl the booth at the taller man. "Damn….bastard, this time I'll cut you down!"

Dalin said nothing, merely stood there with his arms crossed and staring imperiously down at Nick. The blonde haired teen screamed in poor rage and thrust a hand out at Dalin. Immediately the desert sand collected on the street contracted into a ball and streamed straight at Dalin with speed and force enough to smash brick.

Instead of jumping upwards to avoid the shot like he had the last time he hopped to the right and allowed it to pass right by. Nick noticed immediately and forced the sand to swing at Dalin again. Despite his large size Dalin was able to duck and roll under it. He came up to his feet and leapt straight off the building, swooping down on Nick.

Nick narrowed his eyes and instantly the sand at his feet rose up to create a temporary wall. Dalin's fist slammed into the shield of sand and the impact smashed the sand apart, but the force of the blow was canceled out. _'Interesting…'_

Almost immediately after the punch was stopped Nick's own arm darted out, knife in hand, aiming at Dalin's face. Dalin jerked his head to the side and then jerked it back down. Nick's eye went wide with shock, seeing that his hand was now effectively pinned by Dalin's head. "This isn't going to be settled like this. We need your assistance to save the…Universe."

Suddenly Dalin released the pressure his head had on Nick's arm and jumped to the left, rolling and coming up on his feet. He was just in time to avoid a bicycle that Nick had used his abilities to throw at Dalin's back. Nick protected himself with another shield of sand, and then pointed his arm at Dalin, sending the sand shooting at his enemy. "I won't be swayed by your words!"

Dalin frowned and shook his head. "I won't play with you any longer Nikolas….there is simply no time for it."

Instead of dodging the sand Dalin smashed it apart with a single sweep of his arm. Then he darted forwards and before Nick could shield himself grabbed the younger man's arm and bent it inwards so that the knife was centimeters from Nick's jugular vein. "If you must battle, then let it be a battle of little destruction. I will duel you, and should I win you will hear us out. If you win, then you may fight me again if that is what you want."

With that said Dalin released the other man's arm and hopped backwards. Nick stared at Dalin for a minute, and then tossed the knife into the dirt. "Fine….I'll play your game. Give me just a moment to get my deck and duel disk, and then I'll be back."

He shattered into sand and the sand was blown away, making them all lose sight of it. Then he returned as sand coalescing in the same point just a minute later. When he was corporeal once again he had his duel disk strapped to his arm, deck already in place. "Let's get this finished Sumatin, I'd like to get to killing you soon." (NLP: 4000)

Dalin said nothing and merely activated his duel disk. He had anticipated using this method and known exactly what he wanted to suggest ahead of time. Although Nick deserved the right to fight him, he couldn't give Nick that chance quite yet. "Let us begin." (DLP: 4000)

Nick and Dalin drew their six cards swiftly, Nick drawing six while Dalin drew five. The two duelists matched stares for several seconds. Just a handful of feet away, just out of harm's way, the others watched the tense staring match with great trepidation. They knew of the hatred that Nick held for Dalin, but they didn't understand its magnitude.

Finally Nick made his move, throwing a card onto his duel disk. "I'll begin with Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow(1000/1000) in attack mode!" A short and skinny mousy look teenager appeared, wearing black pants and proudly showing a tattoo of a black scorpion on his arm.

"He may be the youngest of the group, but he is stronger than he appears. I'll place two cards face down and end my turn there. Let me see what your angels have in store for the Dark Scorpions this day Sumatin!" Dalin didn't even blink; he just drew for the start of his turn.

Dalin scanned his hand only briefly before he chose his cards. "I will begin simply by setting a monster in defense mode and two cards face down. Then, if you have no actions to take, my turn will end."

Nick drew once, and then held up the new card. "I play Silent Thief of the Night. This sends the top two cards of your deck to the grave!"

His opponent complied, noting the cards that went to the grave as he placed them there. But he remained cautious, as he saw the look in Nick's lone eye. And Dalin proved to be right, because as soon as the cards hit the graveyard one of Nick's two set cards flipped up. "Let me show you my continuous trap card, Dark Scorpion Revelations!"

The trap card showed itself as the Dark Scorpions all gathered around a map, and Don Zaloog was pointing at something on it. "As long as this continuous trap is in play whenever one of you cards is discarded to the grave by one of my effects I get to view the top card of your deck. Then I can choose to replace it, or put it at the bottom of your deck. And I get to do this for one card per card sent to the grave."

Dalin picked up the top two cards of his deck and showed them to Nick. The thief looked at both of them carefully before making a decision. "Place them both at the bottom of your deck." Dalin followed the demand and slipped them into the very bottom of his deck, where they would be much harder to reach.

Once that action was completed Nick took one of the three remaining cards in his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Pod, the high tech device that only three of which had been made. "I summon Dark Scorpion-Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000)!"

His newest scorpion was taller and older than Chick, but was still very thin and seedy looking. Cliff wore the same outfit that Chick did, and also sported a tattoo of a black scorpion. "Now, let's see what your traps are as I activate Dark Scorpion Skill Test! Since it lets me activate a Dark Scorpion effect as if they dealt damage I'll use Cliff's effect to destroy both of your face down cards!"

Cliff smirked and whipped out a pair of knives and then crosses his arms over his chest, bunching his fledgling muscles. Then he releases, swinging his arms out and sending the knives flying at the face down cards. Each card shattered upon impact, and Dalin took them out of his duel disk and placed them in the grave. "Now since I sent a card to the grave with a Dark Scorpion effect my Dark Scorpion Revelations also activates, so show me your top two cards again."

Nick looked the cards over quickly, and then pointed to the card to the rightmost of the two. "Place that card back on top of your deck. The other one should go at the bottom of your deck."

Once Dalin had completed the action Nick was left to contemplate his next move. Dalin saw the choice that was there and understood exactly how the other man's thought process would go. Although both of Dalin's threatening set cards were gone, it was most likely that Dalin's defense monster either had a high defense, or some beneficial effect. The Dark Scorpions lacked brute force, so simply attacking straight off might not be the wisest choice. And Dalin knew which path Nick was going to take.

"Cliff the Trap Remover will…not attack. I'll finish up with a single card face down and end my turn." A small smirk was evident on Nick's face, and the others watching knew that it didn't bode well for Dalin. They were worried for him…or at least most of them were. Ihami was sitting on an upturned booth and grinning widely as she watched.

Dalin drew and immediately Nick's set card flipped up. "Reveal quick-play magic card, Spy Guesswork! This magic card lets me guess the name of one card, and if it's in your hand you must discard your entire hand and I draw half the cards you lost. I name Monster Reborn!"

Dalin flicked his green eyes down to see the card he had drawn, and then folded up his hand and slid it into the graveyard. Since it was four cards Nick drew two cards, replacing those he had used in his previous turn and leaving Dalin with nothing to work with. "And as you know, Dark Scorpion Revelations now lets me see the top four cards of your deck!"

On the sidelines Alice was feeling a mixture of worry and excitement. She was excited because her senpai was dueling right before her eyes against a powerful opponent, but worried because of the threat Nikolas posed. "How did Nikolas know that senpai had that card in his hand?"

Ihami glanced over at the blonde girl and snorted. "You're cute, but apparently not so bright. If you really paid attention you'd understand how it worked. First Nikolas used Dark Scorpion Skill Test with Cliff to destroy Dalin's set cards, right?"

Alice nodded, understanding that part fully. "Then Dark Scorpion Revelations allowed Nikolas to view the top two cards of Dalin's deck. While doing this he chooses one card to go to the bottom of Dalin's graveyard, and the other to be placed on top. That meant he knew exactly what Dalin was going to draw this turn, making it a perfect combo for use with Spy Guesswork. Get it now?"

She did, but that only served to make her opponent worry all the more. It meant that Nikolas was a very talented duelist to pull off a combination like that. It was a flawless move that let him destroy two cards, discard Dalin's hand, remove a potentially threatening card, and also draw two cards. _'He's…he's really good!'_

Since Dalin couldn't do anything Nick reached for his deck, but was stopped as Dalin placed his fingers on his set monster card. "Do not get ahead of yourself Nikolas. I now flip summon my set monster, Ascended Man(1200/500)."

Nick's one eye immediately dropped to his field, which was now barren save his two Dark Scorpions and his continuous trap card. He gritted his teeth, understanding what was about to happen. "Damn…"

Dalin raised his right arm and pointed a finger directly at Cliff the Trap Remover. "Ascended Man, attack Cliff the Trap Remover!"

The brown robed man with white angel wings swooped in and struck Cliff bodily, hurling them both into the side of a building. Each monster shattered on impact, but seconds after Ascended Man was destroyed an identical figure formed on Dalin's field. "As you well know when Ascended Man goes to the grave I special summon another from my deck and draw one card."

Since Ascended Man's effect had come in during the battle phase and the second was also summoned during the battle phase that meant Dalin could continue his attack, and Nick knew he was going to feel it. "Ascended Man, destroy Chick the Yellow!"

This time Ascended Man's body check only sent Chick flying, and he too shattered against the building. "With that concluded, I place a card face down and end my turn." (NLP: 3800)

Alice pumped her fist into the air, grinning like an idiot. "Go senpai! Show that one-eyed thief who's the boss!"

Nick's eye twitched at the sound of her cheers, and he jerked around to face her. "There will be no cheerleading in this duel for either side! There will be no damned peanut gallery to get on our nerves! Just let us duel!"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and leaned over to whisper in Ihami's ear. "He's a grumpy guy. A bit of a jerk if you ask me."

Ihami leaned in to whisper in Alice's ear in return. "I totally didn't."

With their peanut gallery comments finished Nick was free to start his own turn, and he was determined to repay Dalin's destruction of his two Dark Scorpions using the five cards in his hand. "First, I play Vase of Charity! This lets me draw four cards, provided I discarded two afterwards."

He picked up his top four cards, and then carefully selected two of them to discard. "I discarded Dying to Steal. When this card goes to the grave it lets me send two cards from your hand to the grave, or three from the top of your deck. I choose the second option of course."

Dalin registered the three cards and then discarded them to his graveyard. Immediately after he was done he picked up the top three cards of his deck and flipped them around for Nick to see. "According to your trap card's effect you may now see my top three cards."

Nick smirked, looking positively deadly as he fingered one of the cards in his hand, looking eager to use it. "Go ahead and put those three cards back on top of your deck."

Green eyes narrowed as Dalin replaced the three cards, the eyes contemplating exactly what Nikolas' intent was with that move. _'He returned my cards, and with the way he was looking it means he particularly wants them there. That card in his hand will work advantageously with his trap card.'_

Nikolas took three of his cards, one of them being the one he was so eager to play, and placed them in the magic and trap slots of his Duel Pod. One by one the three cards materialized in holographic form at his feet. "I lay three cards down, and then I'll set a monster in defense mode. End."

When Dalin drew he saw that the card that had been placed on top of his deck would be somewhat worthless at the moment. It wasn't that he couldn't use it, but rather it would be pointless to do so. However, there was no reason not to. "I play Heaven's Glow to gain one thousand life points." (DLP: 5000)

He assessed the situation carefully, and looked up at Nick, seeing the look in the other man's lone eye. He understood exactly what the problem was. _'If his set monster is what I believe it is, attacking would merely play into his hands. So for the moment I must abstain.'_

"End."

Nikolas drew, and then pointed to one of his three face down cards. "Dark Scorpion Revenge Theft is my choice of trap! For every Dark Scorpion in the graveyard you must discard one card from your deck at random. And since I discarded Gorg the Strong for Vase of Charity that makes three!"

Without a word Dalin fanned out his deck and plucked three cards from it, then he folded his deck up and returned it to its holder. Finally he discarded the three cards to his cemetery slot, and reached for his deck to show Nick his top three cards. "No Dalin, that's not how it works this time. If I have already seen a card using Dark Scorpion Revelations I'm allowed to skip over it, so show me the three cards beneath your top two."

Alice bit her lip, worrying even more about Dalin as he flashed Nick the three cards. Nick promptly grinned and patted the top of his deck. "Go ahead and replace them Sumatin. That's a good boy…"

When Dalin had returned the three cards to where they belonged he looked back up at Nikolas, curious as to the point behind the combo. It was obvious to him that Dark Scorpion Revenge Theft was not the card he had been eager to use. "Is that all?"

"No, in fact now it's the card that completes my vicious combo! The combo that will destroy your deck in just a handful of turns. The continuous trap card Dark Scorpion Insight!" His trap card showed the Dark Scorpions outside a stone vault, and Don Zaloog was carefully stepping over a stone. Below the stone there were wires of some sort for a trap.

"What does this trap card of yours do exactly?" Nick sneered and tapped a finger against the side of his head, looking almost feral as he prepared to reveal his apparently deadly combo.

"Dark Scorpion Insight is a once per turn card. You see, once during each of my turns I can name any number of cards in your hand or on top of your deck, and each one that's guessed incorrectly is discarded to the grave. Once I guess one wrong I have to stop. So, I guess that in order your top five cards are Jupiter the Angel of Life, Pot of Greed, Mercury the Angel of Wisdom, Hear No Evil, and last but not least is Pluto the Angel of Weakening." Dalin picked all five cards up and saw that they were indeed as Nikolas had named them. And since he had named them correctly Dalin was forced to discard them.

Dalin closed his eyes in understanding of the terrifying combo. "And because cards were sent to my graveyard by one of your effects you can now check the top five cards of my deck using Dark Scorpion Revelations. And next turn you can discard those that remain using Dark Scorpion Insight."

"That's right, and not just that but any additional cards I discard to your grave add onto that number. So I have the power to destroy your deck in just a handful of turns, like I said. It's a combo that can crush even you Dalin Imaki Sumatin!" Ihami whistled, impressed by the combo, while Rishid, Hikari, and Alice all began to worry about the fate of their number on duelist and ipso facto leader.

Dalin did the math and found that he currently had twenty-two cards in the grave thanks to Nikolas' efforts. Counting the Ascended Man he currently had on the field that meant he had used twenty-three cards out of his deck. _'It's a combo nearly without flaw since I have no hand. Any cards that he sees he can discard, and any that might immediately help me he can place at the bottom of my deck. He truly has improved.'_

"You see Sumatin? I won't be defeated! And if you won't come for me, then I'll come for you! I play Dark Scorpion Poison Dart, which lets me discard one card from my hand to destroy any monster on the field and act is if it were battle. So…I'll discard Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) in order to destroy my set monster!" Dalin let himself smile slightly, having guessed the set monster correctly.

"My destroyed monster was Dark Scorpion(200/300) which lets me special summon a level four or lower Dark Scorpion from my deck to the field when destroyed in battle. So now I special summon the leader of the group, Don Zaloog(1400/1000)!" The leader of the bunch appeared, showing off by twirling a pair of guns in his hands. He had one eye covered by a patch, and wore rougher clothing than the rest of the scorpions, but like them he also had a tattoo of a black scorpion on his arm.

"Now, Don Zaloog will attack Ascended Man with Guns of the King!" Don Zaloog took aim and fired a single shot from each pistol, catching Ascended Man in the forehead. The angel crumpled and faded away, but was quickly replaced by another as Dalin drew from its effect. (DLP: 4800)

"And I'll have Don Zaloog's effect discard that card from your hand! And of course I'll use Dark Scorpion Revelations to see yet another card from your deck." Dalin frowned slightly as he discarded the newly drawn card, and then showed yet another card from his deck to Nick. Nick frowned, and motioned for him to place the card at the bottom of his deck.

Dalin made quick note of the used cards, bringing his total to twenty-five, twenty-four of them being in the graveyard. And in the next turn Nikolas could at least force him to discard four cards from his deck, as Dalin would now draw the top one that Nikolas knew. "Your combination is a powerful one…"

He paused as he drew, not yet bothering to look at it. "However, despite the power of your combination I cannot allow you to defeat me. Despite the strength of your convictions, I will not let you win. You deserve justice, however at this moment I cannot allow you to achieve it, the stakes are too high."

"And what do you think you can do about it? As long as my revenge is there, it is impossible for you to gain any sort of victory. And with this combo in play I'll win in just a few more turns as bit by bit I demolish your deck. What can you do but delay the inevitable?" Dalin sighed and shook his head before slowly sliding his drawn card into his disk. It formed in front of him, but he seemed to be ignoring its presence.

"Too often I have heard that said. 'This is impossible' or 'that is impossible'. If I believed that anything was truly impossible then I would not be attempting to stop the end of the Universe. It is my choice to deny the term impossible. One way or another there will be a conclusion to this vendetta, but that time is not now. For the moment…I deny you that right." Nick's right fist curled into a tight ball, his rage seething beneath the surface, just barely contained.

"Deny me my vendetta? Deny me my right of revenge! No…one way or another I will show you my wrath, and the wrath of the Dark Scorpions! Prepare yourself Dalin Imaki Sumatin for the true power of the Dark Scorpions!" He literally yanked another card off the top of his deck, and then pointed at Dalin fiercely.

"Saturn the Angel of Judgment, Energy Absorption, Song of Angels, and Mars the Angel of Power! Discard them all!" Dalin did so, sending the four cards on his deck to the grave and then showing the top next four to Nick.

He frowned and paused for a second, but then his rage got the better of him. "This part doesn't matter…place all four at the bottom of your deck."

Even before Dalin had completed the task Nick was already shoving his drawn card into his duel disk. "Dalin Imaki Sumatin, I've learned in the past that the power of the Dark Scorpions as they stood at the start of their career couldn't defeat you. But now, I'll show you how strong they become after two decades more experience!"

Nikolas' entire field started to glow and the forms of each of the other four Dark Scorpions appeared around Don Zaloog. All of them were bit by bit being covered by the glowing light. "I activate my magic card that unleashes their power…"

"Twenty Years Hence!"

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Author's Notes: Now, if I were truly evil I'd make you guys wait…but I'm not utterly a fiend. So next time we continue the duel.

_Next Time: The full power of the Dark Scorpions is unleashed against Dalin, and the seemingly unbeatable Dalin is pushed into a corner by their might. Yet Dalin has declared that he will deny Nikolas of his vengeance, and to do so he must show Nikolas the power of true denial. _

_See it all in, Deny Me In Your Eyes!_


	30. Deny Me In Your Eyes

Author's Note: At last, the conclusion to Nikolas and Dalin's duel!

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Deny Me In Your Eyes**

_Dalin made quick note of the used cards, bringing his total to twenty-five, twenty-four of them being in the graveyard. And in the next turn Nikolas could at least force him to discard four cards from his deck, as Dalin would now draw the top one that Nikolas knew. "Your combination is a powerful one…"_

_He paused as he drew, not yet bothering to look at it. "However, despite the power of your combination I cannot allow you to defeat me. Despite the strength of your convictions, I will not let you win. You deserve justice, however at this moment I cannot allow you to achieve it, the stakes are too high."_

_"And what do you think you can do about it? As long as my revenge is there, it is impossible for you to gain any sort of victory. And with this combo in play I'll win in just a few more turns as bit by bit I demolish your deck. What can you do but delay the inevitable?" Dalin sighed and shook his head before slowly sliding his drawn card into his disk. It formed in front of him, but he seemed to be ignoring its presence._

_"Too often I have heard that said. 'This is impossible' or 'that is impossible'. If I believed that anything was truly impossible then I would not be attempting to stop the end of the Universe. It is my choice to deny the term impossible. One way or another there will be a conclusion to this vendetta, but that time is not now. For the moment…I deny you that right." Nick's right fist curled into a tight ball, his rage seething beneath the surface, just barely contained._

_"Deny me my vendetta? Deny me my right of revenge! No…one way or another I will show you my wrath, and the wrath of the Dark Scorpions! Prepare yourself Dalin Imaki Sumatin for the true power of the Dark Scorpions!" He literally yanked another card off the top of his deck, and then pointed at Dalin fiercely._

_"Saturn the Angel of Judgment, Energy Absorption, Song of Angels, and Mars the Angel of Power! Discard them all!" Dalin did so, sending the four cards on his deck to the grave and then showing the top next four to Nick. _

_He frowned and paused for a second, but then his rage got the better of him. "This part doesn't matter…place all four at the bottom of your deck." _

_Even before Dalin had completed the task Nick was already shoving his drawn card into his duel disk. "Dalin Imaki Sumatin, I've learned in the past that the power of the Dark Scorpions as they stood at the start of their career couldn't defeat you. But now, I'll show you how strong they become after two decades more experience!"_

_Nikolas' entire field started to glow and the forms of each of the other four Dark Scorpions appeared around Don Zaloog. All of them were bit by bit being covered by the glowing light. "I activate my magic card that unleashes their power…"_

_"Twenty Years Hence!"_

"This magic card allows me to sacrifice the Dark Scorpions on my field or remove them from the game to special summon out their older more experienced forms from my deck to the field. And since I have four of the Scorpions in the grave and Don on the field, I'll unleash all five of the adult forms at once!" One by one the older Scorpions showed their faces.

First was the older version of Don Zaloog. He was older, with a little bit of gray in his hair and a few more scars, but few other differences. "This is Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures(1900/1500), and when he is summoned and his normal summon effect doesn't occur, he instead gains three hundred attack points."

The second one to appear was clearly an older Cliff, only his face was much gaunter than it previously had been. Also his thin glasses had become thicker ones, adjusting for worsened eyesight. "Meet Dark Scorpion-Cliff the Trap Master(1700/1500)!"

Third amongst them was the one who so far had changed the most. Standing at an equal height to Cliff rather than being much shorter was Chick, now fully an adult at least in his thirties. The mallet he normally carried was even larger than previous. "Dark Scorpion-Chick the Clever(1600/1500)!"

Appearing fourth was one who appeared to have hardly changed at all, save for some wrinkles that now were scattered across his face. It was the same big and muscular Gorg. "Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Wise(2400/1500)!"

Last but not least was the woman of the group of thieves, who despite her aging was still as attractive as ever. The only evident changes were the light in her eyes had faded slightly, and her hair which had previously hung freely over her shoulders was now pulled up into a ponytail. "Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Rose(1800/2200)!"

Dalin frowned as he felt the bond appear between all five and Nick. The strength of their bond that made him stronger than normal. When all five appeared together, defeating him became much more difficult. "Together we are strong Sumatin, and together we will win! Gorg the Wise, when summoned, destroys one monster on your field!"

Gorg ran across the field, somehow moving more swiftly than he had at his younger age, and struck the kneeling angelic monk across the face. Ascended Man blew apart, and Dalin drew a card to replace it. Since there were none left in his deck he couldn't summon. "Next, when Maenae the Rose is summoned I can add a card with 'dark scorpion' in its name from my grave to my hand."

A card popped out of his grave and he gratefully added it to his hand. "Now, the way is clear, however I knew what you had set the whole time. It's your Light Barrier card, which will prevent me from attacking, won't it? But why don't I try anyways…with Cliff the Trap Master!"

Dalin pointed to his face down card, but nothing at all happened. His eyes widened right before daggers from Cliff struck him and pushed him backwards. "I see…Cliff's attack cannot be chained can it?" (DLP: 3100)

"That's right! And now since he dealt you life point damage I'll destroy your set card, opening you up completely to my other Dark Scorpions!" Dalin's set Light Barrier blew apart, leaving him with no defenses. Yet he was as calm and stoic as always.

"You won't deny me much longer Sumatin; I'll crush you right now! Maenae now attacks your life points directly!" He stopped his declaration, and grabbed at his throat. He knew he had spoken, but he hadn't heard any sound come from his own lips.

His opponent placed his hand in front of his graveyard slot and took cards that slid out of it and held them up. "Within my grave is a magic card called Speak No Evil. I can shuffle five cards from my grave into my deck to prevent you from conducting a battle phase this turn. Or, if the battle phase has already begun, it is ended."

He shuffled up the five cards into his deck, and then quickly replaced it. "Do you understand Nikolas? Because I have shuffled these cards into my deck I have broken your combination. You now no longer know what is on top of my deck. And each turn I can do exactly the same, restoring my deck and preventing your lock."

Nikolas felt the blood pounding through his body, his rage bubbling beneath the surface. So easily his chance to crush his opponent had been denied and now he had to start over from the beginning. "Damn you…I set one card face down and end my turn!"

Dalin drew calmly, giving himself two cards. "Activate magic card, Coins From Heaven." Both duelists drew until they held six cards.

"Now I activate Temporal Distortion, which at a cost of my battle phase will destroy all magic and trap cards on the field. For each destroyed we draw one card." Nikolas grimaced as a vortex appeared in the middle of the field and started pulling his two trap cards towards him.

"Not so fast! Reverse card open, Dark Scorpion Skill Test! I'll use it to activate Chick the Clever's effect, and bounce two cards back to their owner's hand. In order words I'll save my two continuous trap cards by returning them to my hand." The cards popped out of his duel disk and he slid them into his hand, giving him eight cards.

Dalin fanned out the five remaining cards in his hand, and then his eyes met Nick's. "I'm sorry Nikolas, but I'm going to take control of this duel now. I will use this magic card, Polymerization! I fuse Earth, Angel of Destruction(1650/0) with Mars, Angel of Power(0/0)!"

The two named angels zoomed together into a vortex, and emerged as an entirely different angel. The new angel had blue skin and expansive white wings, but wore a red tight fitting robe. A pair of glasses were on the bridge of the angel's nose. "This is Apollo, Angel of Intellect(1800/1500). Upon being summoned he allows me to add three angels in my cemetery to my hand."

Nikolas looked over at his upgraded Scorpions and bit his bottom lip, not seeing how this could go well for him. Although the fusion angel wasn't extremely powerful, it was still stronger than two of his team. "Come if you want, I'll take you down!"

"Very well. I activate Apollo's effect; paying five hundred life points to special summon an angel sub-type monster from my hand. I will do this twice. I special summon Jupiter, Angel of Life(2400/2400) and Saturn, Angel of Judgment(2400/0) to the field!" His life points began to trickle down, but in exchange the blue skinned female angel descended onto the field, followed by the towering muscular Jupiter. (DLP: 2100)

Dalin thrust his right hand out and clenched his hand tightly into a fist. "Apollo will destroy Chick the Clever, Jupiter will destroy Maenae the Rose, and Saturn will defeat Cliff the Trap Master."

A trio of energy blasts shot out, shattering each of the three named scorpions and living Nikolas with just the two strongest remaining. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms and drawing blood. "You'll pay for that…bastard!" (NLP: 2300)

"Perhaps. Now, I pay another five hundred life points to special summon Mercury, Angel of Wisdom(0/1700) to the field in defense mode. Then I conclude my turn by setting two cards face down. This force is the first step in denying you of your vengeance." Another blue skinned angel appeared, this one with its wings folded over its body for protection. Then two cards formed behind it for additional protection. (DLP: 1600)

Nick drew and then slammed one card from his hand into his disk. "The Dark Scorpions will not remain gone for long! I play Dark Scorpion Reunion and discard three cards from my hand to revive three scorpions in the grave! All three return!"

All three formerly destroyed scorpions rejoined their comrades, completing the team again. Dalin narrowed his eyes and considered the situation. _'Just as I thought. Once he gets all five out, the only way to prevent all five from coming back even if you slay them is to defeat him at the same time.'_

"Since Maenae the Rose was summoned to the field I now pick one card with dark scorpion in its name from the grave to my hand. And following that, I'll activate the effect of the card I discarded, my Thieves Demise magic card!" Dalin remembered that card from their previous duel, and understood exactly the combo that was about to occur.

"When Thieves Demise goes to the grave I can sacrifice a Dark Scorpion on the field to destroy up to two magic or trap cards on the field. I'll blow away both of yours!" Maenae the Rose faded away and then each of Dalin's face down cards were blown away, leaving his monsters undefended by the power of magic. Or at least primarily undefended.

"Next I remove Dark Scorpion Reunion from the grave to revive Maenae the Rose, and again her effect activates!" He snapped another card out of his grave, pumping his hand size up to seven cards total. The spectators couldn't help but think that truly he was an impressive player.

Nikolas flipped another of his cards around and held it up. "Dark Scorpion Strike lets me destroy one monster on the opponent's field for every Dark Scorpion I have in play. Since I have five I'll destroy all four of your monsters!"

One by one Dalin's angels blew apart into millions of pixels, leaving his field completely empty once again. "How can you deny me now Sumatin? I've surpassed you, and I will win one way or another!"

Ignoring the comments completely Dalin took five cards from his cemetery and slid them into his deck, then shuffled it up. "I'll again use Speak No Evil's effect and shuffle five cards back into my deck to prevent your battle phase from occurring."

Nikolas scowled, knowing that he would have to break down that barrier before he could successfully launch an attack. Since he couldn't even hear his own voice, he instead chose not to say anything, and simply placed three cards face down to conclude his turn.

Dalin drew, but as soon as he did one of Nikolas' set cards flipped up. "Dark Scorpion Skill Test utilizes Don Zaloog's effect and discards that single card from your hand! And with nothing to use your turn is forfeit!"

On the sidelines Ihami rolled her eyes and yawned, looking exaggeratedly bored. "Damn it…a stalemate huh? This'll be boring for a handful of turns into one or the other is able to break the stand off."

Alice glanced over at the other girl and then back at the field. Finally she decided to go through with it and moved in to ask the obvious question. "Okay…so how is it going to be a stalemate?"

"Sheesh, this is why you lost your duel to me. Basically it works like this. Nikolas' deck is a Dark Scorpion Deck, which revolves around the Dark Scorpions and discard effects. Dalin's deck is an Angel Deck, which revolves around life point gain and angels. Basically it means that his deck is not purely offense based, and now he's got a large number of cards in the grave to work with his Speak No Evil card. The Dark Scorpion Deck can't remove cards from the grave, so the only way to break the standoff is to burn through all twenty-five cards in Dalin's grave." Alice blinked and then slowly her eyes widened as she caught on.

Nick drew, and just like had happened in Dalin's turn there was an immediate reaction. Dalin picked up five cards from the grave and slipped them into his deck then shuffled. "Attacking is pointless…so I'll end for the moment."

Dalin drew and closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "I will deny you from here on out completely. My eyes refuse to see you, so I refuse to open my eyes until you have fallen in this duel. End turn."

The turn shifted over to Nikolas, whose single eye glared at Dalin, though the angel duelist was completely unaware of it. "You're that arrogant that you believe you can defeat me without even seeing the cards that you draw?"

"It is not a matter of arrogance, but rather a matter of understanding. I understand that I will not lose to you, and I understand that for that to be true I must deny you completely for this entire duel. Therefore my eyes must remain closed to you until the duel's end. Do you understand?" Nick kicked at the sand beneath his feet and sneered at his opponent.

"No, I really don't. But I won't let you keep your eyes closed. I'll force you to open your eyes to meet me face to face in battle like I want! So let me destroy you with my Scorpions and let you see it with your own eyes!" He lifted his right hand and pointed at Dalin's forehead, and Cliff raised his head slightly, taking in the sight.

"I activate Speak No Evil's effect, removing your battle phase. You cannot force me to open my eyes Nikolas. Trying won't accomplish what you desire. I deny you." He shuffled the five cards he had chosen from his cemetery back into his deck. Now he had only fifteen cards remaining in his grave, which would let him prevent three more battle phases.

"You can only delay me for three more turns, and then I'll crush you and force your eyes open! You can't deny me and I'll show you why!" In response Dalin drew to start his own turn, almost completely ignoring Nick's angry words.

Without looking at his drawn card Dalin pointed at Nick and then let his hand fall to his side. Nick understood the sentiment, knowing that Dalin meant his turn was done and Nick should begin his own turn. "So, you're not going to speak to me at all anymore, or was that just a one turn deal?"

"No, I will speak when necessary. For instance, I use Speak No Evil's effect. And that will be the last thing I say during your turn." Nick scowled, frustrated that he still had two more turns after this when he couldn't do anything. And since he didn't want to fill up his field too much, he would just keep his hand at six cards and finish up there.

"End."

Dalin drew, and then calmly nodded his head to Nick. "Again, I pass my turn."

Nick drew, and then scowling he tossed the card into his graveyard as soon as Dalin shuffled the cards from his grave back into his deck. "I discard to maintain my hand size, and end my turn."

When Dalin drew, Nick could feel himself itching for the chance to strike the other man. He was certain that Dalin was just going to pass again, ignoring him as a duelist. Then during Nick's own turn, the final five cards in Dalin's grave would be returned to Dalin's deck. _'So close…so close…'_

"I pass."

With a small smile on his face Dalin shuffled up the final five cards in his grave back into his deck, returning it to its original size, minus the four cards he was holding in his hand. Nick smirked, knowing that was the last chance for it. "This was the last turn where you could run from me Sumatin. Next turn if you don't do anything, I'll run you over with my scorpions!"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. We'll see either way." Nick ground his teeth together, frustration building at how easily he was being ignored. This was not how he had imagined this confrontation going in his mind, not at all!

"Damn you…I'll pry your eyes open with my bare hands if I have to! I'll make you see me as I am; see me as the man who will take your life! You can't deny me Sumatin, you can't!" Dalin sighed and shook his head, looking almost…disappointed. But that had to be Nick's imagination playing tricks on him, because it didn't make sense.

"You still don't understand. Until you do, I can't open my eyes. Until you understand there is no chance of you ever catching up to me. I apologize that this is how it must be, but there are bigger things in the Universe than your vendetta, and I can't allow that to get in the way of my goal. I will not let anything get between me and my goal." Nick's eye widened, recognizing those words. Ihami also recognized them, but from an entirely different source.

_"I have one goal in mind, one that I won't speak of. And at the moment you four have been placed in my way by the will of others. I'm going to win this duel and do as I must, even though it isn't my desire. But defeating you will put me one step closer to my true goal, and that's what is important."_

Nick's own words in different form come back to haunt him. His goal was to punish Dalin Imaki Sumatin no matter what got in his way. And now, he was seeing Dalin pursue something so greatly that he wouldn't let anything get in the way. And Nick knew the strength that supplied.

_"My heart is on fire! I can't even describe the feelings that are ripping me apart inside! You stand between me and my goal, between me and Taichi. And anything in the way of the way for me to quench my burning heart will suffer my wrath! I'll kill anyone who will keep me from quenching my burning heart! And right now...that's you."_

Ihami knew those words. They were Drake's words to Autumn in his duel with her during Battle City. The words that told her just how far he was willing to go to see his goal through. That utter determination and focus on a goal…and it gave him strength. _'Those three…they're much more similar than I bet any of them would admit. Under different circumstances, they all might have been friends.'_

Dalin snapped a card off his deck. Without looking he placed it into the middle of his hand and then selected a different card and held it out. "Pot of Greed."

The green grinning pot appeared on the field, but as soon as Dalin had drawn his two cards from its effect it vanished, leaving no trace. "I set one monster and two cards face down. End."

Nikolas reached for his deck, drawing while he contemplated what he had just seen. _'He made that move without looking at his cards, and not only did he know he had Pot of Greed but his duel disk accepted the cards he set. Which means that the two he set were either magic or trap cards, and the other is really a monster. But how can he know with his eyes closed?'_

There was no obvious answer to that question, but he could hope that Dalin didn't know what his set cards were. For all he knew they could be normal magic cards and therefore useless to Dalin this turn. "Activate magic card, Dark Scorpion Sneak Attack! First I discard two cards as a cost…"

Carefully he chose two of his other six cards and placed them into the graveyard. Then his Dark Scorpions' stats began to fluctuate. "Now that I've made the payment during this turn all Dark Scorpions can attack directly with their attack points set to five hundred!"

Their respective attack scores all settled at five hundred, and then they charged Dalin. The muscular duelist couldn't possibly tell with his eyes closed, but somehow he had a tiny smile at the corner of his lips. "Activate trap card."

"What? You can't possibly know what that is!" Yet despite his protests the card revealed itself clearly with a purple border, meaning it was definitely a trap card. And Nikolas knew that trap card, knew what it was about to do.

"My trap is Heaven's Judgment, which I can activate when I would receive a direct attack. All monsters on the opponent's field are removed from the game!" Nikolas bit his bottom lip as he saw the Dark Scorpions vanish in mid-stride, seemingly nowhere to be seen. They had been banished to the different dimension.

"No! I won't allow them to be defeated! Trap card activates, the Unbreakable Bond of the Dark Scorpions! During this turn when a Dark Scorpion is destroyed I can discard any number of cards to revive those that were destroyed or removed from the game. So by discarding four cards I return all but Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures to the field!" He slammed his entire hand of four cards into the graveyard, and Maenae, Gorg, Cliff, and Chick all reappeared in front of him.

"Since Gorg and Maenae were summoned I destroy your set monster and pick up a Dark Scorpion card from the grave! And since it's still my turn, I'll be able to go on the assault!" Gorg landed a crushing blow on the set monster, and it blew apart. Nikolas scowled when he recognized it as a very familiar monster.

"Since Gorg's effect destroyed my restored Ascended Man(1200/500) I draw one card and special summon another in defense mode." His angel was quickly replaced by an identical one, keeping up his defense. Once it was in view Dalin drew a card.

"I don't know how you're doing this, but I won't allow it to beat me! Chick attacks your next Ascended Man!" The now adult Chick hefted his mallet and jumped straight into the air. He came straight down and crushed the angel with the mallet, again giving Dalin another monster and a draw.

"Next, Maenae the Rose will finish off the remaining Ascended Man!" She raised her whip and snapped it out, sending it arcing through the air at high speed toward the defending monster. But instead of striking the angel it hit an invisible barrier, and a red line of light ran from that barrier into Dalin's duel disk.

"My Energy Absorption trap card negates your attack, ends the battle phase, and increases my life points by half your monster's points. That would be nine hundred, would it not?" Nikolas suppressed the intense desire to use his power to chuck a cement wall at Dalin while he had his eyes closed. Maybe that would force the arrogant bastard to open them. (DLP: 2500)

Since he had no more battle phase, it was time for Nick to use the card he had retrieved with Maenae's effect. "Activate magic card, Treasure of the Dark Scorpions! I draw one card no matter what, but also an added card for every Dark Scorpion in play. So total I draw five cards."

He counted through the five and then drew them, snapping them open like a fan so he could see them all. His eye darted from name to name, registering each card in turn. "Heh, perfect. Activate magic card Blood Oath of Loyalty! This card can be played only if I have at least three Dark Scorpions in play but no Don Zaloog. As you can see that's clearly the case. Oh wait! You can't see can you?"

Dalin ignored the smartass crack, so Nick just rolled his eyes and moved along. "Like I was saying, if I meet those requirenments I get to play this card. Its effect lets me special summon Don Zaloog to the field from wherever it exists, including out of play. So I special summon Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures(1900 +300/1500) from out of play."

Once again all five Dark Scorpions had entered the fray and proved that they couldn't be separated for as long as Nikolas still had life points. "My Dark Scorpions can't fall. Do you want me to tell you the ultimate reason why? The answer exists in something I discovered in a Darkness Game about a month ago…"

He smirked, thinking back to that day when he was challenged by some arrogant bastard spouting crap about 'blood' or something like that. "He was good, powerful I'll admit that. He used an Insect Deck, and he had managed to blow away all of my Dark Scorpions. I drew, and then I felt the touch of some power upon me, and I understood. My bond with the Dark Scorpions manifests itself in a duel, allowing me to always be able to bring back my Dark Scorpions, no matter what. If they leave play, I will always draw whatever I need to get them back. Understand? As long as I have life points the Dark Scorpions will always be here!"

"I see, your Duel Presence has presented itself in the ability to maintain your Dark Scorpions under any circumstances. Not surprising really, considering your connection to them. You see, it is the mark of a truly powerful duelist to manifest a Duel Presence in a Darkness Game." Nikolas grinned, although it was more of a shark-like thing than a look of happiness.

"That's right, true strength determined by my bond with the Dark Scorpions! A power that in a thousand years you couldn't hope to understand!" Dalin shook his head ever so slightly, so slightly in fact that Nikolas barely caught it.

Nikolas narrowed his lone eye, but Dalin said nothing. "Just denying me again huh? Well you won't be able to do that for much longer. I set one card face down and end my turn!"

The angel duelist drew, his eyes still closed. He paused for several seconds, not doing anything, and his group leaned in, waiting for his move. Nikolas tapped his foot impatiently against the ground. "Well, are you going to make a move or not?"

"You don't understand Nikolas, your truly don't. But that power you spoke of, it is a power that I understand perfectly. But I deny you, and that is why in this duel I can't show you that understanding." Nikolas scratched at his head and cocked it to the side, the words not connecting in any way that made sense to him.

"You're right, maybe I don't understand. But then again, you're not making sense are you?" Dalin said nothing at first; instead he just selected one of the cards in his hand and pulled it away from the rest.

"What I meant was that in denying you I cannot show you that I understand the power that manifests itself for you in a duel. In other words, as long as I deny you I cannot use my own Duel Presence." Rishid, Ihami, Hikari, Alice, and even Nikolas all had their eyes, or eye in Nick's case, widen in shock. They had never expected Dalin to have one as well.

"You have a Duel Presence? Damn you…you're facing me while holding that back? This is all about that damned denial…and I can't allow that! No matter what, I'll finish you quickly next turn! Then I'll make you suffer!" Dalin sighed and pressed a lone button on his duel disk, causing a side slot to pop open.

"No, I'm afraid I can't allow your false threats to become real ones. So this is the end Nikolas Selket." He fitted the card into the open slot, and then pressed it closed. The area around them shimmered, and suddenly they found themselves standing on top of fluffy white clouds, with a large regal castle floating in the clouds behind Dalin.

"Damn it…Sanctuary of the Sky, you're blasted field card. It still rubs me wrong that a person like you is allowed to even contemplate using holy creatures like angels. It makes me sick to think that you force them to bow to your will!" Dalin took another of the five cards in his hand and placed it on the field, picking up his other card as he did so.

"As I said, this is the end. I sacrifice the final Ascended Man in order to summon Saturn, Angel of Judgment(2400/0))!" The angel descended onto the field as a ball of light, and then spread its wings wide open, revealing them to be a purplish color. She looked across the field regally at Nikolas, appearing as exactly what she should be. An angel ready to pass judgment.

"Ha, your monster's effect is useless right now considering you only have a two hundred life point advantage. And should you attack…well I'll be responsible for putting your monster in its place. Or did you think these set cards were bluffs?" Dalin responded by holding up one of the cards still in his hand, an easily recognizable ankh.

"Monster Reborn revives Ascended Man, restoring its place on the field. Yet once again, it will act as fodder. Let me show you why this is the end, when I sacrifice Ascended Man for my magic card: Army of Heaven!" The newly revived Ascended Man faded away, and Dalin's field was covered in a blue glow.

"What does this do? I've never seen the Army of Heaven card before." His question was answered seconds later as Saturn's body shimmered, and then split into five separate pieces. Now instead of one Saturn there were five of them. A veritable army of Saturns.

"At the cost of a sacrifice of an angel I can create copies of an angel on my field, stats and effect completely intact. Now, the conclusion of my denial. My judgment is passed, and I sacrifice Saturn, Angel of Judgment to deal the difference in our life points as damage!" One of them shattered, sending a wave of purple energy sweeping over both players' fields, battering Nikolas. (NLP: 2000)

"I sacrifice a second Saturn for its effect!" The next one over also blew apart, and Nick was struck even harder this time than he had been by the previous one. He caught himself before his knees touched the ground, not wanting to show weakness. (NLP: 1500)

"Saturn the third activates her effect!" Nikolas could only look on in horror and understanding as the third wave of power knocked him onto his butt and drained nearly all of his life points away. There was nothing he could do to stop what was happening. (NLP: 500)

Dalin turned away completely so that his back was to Nikolas. "My fourth Saturn will be the ending to this duel. My final denial comes in the form of Saturn's effect. Final Judgment!"

He started walking away before the final blow was even struck, finally opening his eyes when he heard Nick's last life points falling away. The duel was over at last, and Nikolas had been denied his vengeance. (NLP: 0)

Knowing that at this distance Nikolas couldn't hear him, Dalin felt safe to speak. But still his words were quiet and under his breath. "For what has happened, I apologize. But it was…necessary."

"It was always necessary."

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Author's Notes: Time for a big surprise for those who are reading this. For anyone who requests it, I'll send you to your e-mail (if you provide it) a Character Portrait for any character or characters you want. This will include tiny tidbits of information on them, random things that are enjoyable but don't reveal dread secrets or anything. These will also come with a Character Image song, which is a song that always fit the character to me. Hope you enjoy!

_Next Time: Before time runs down everyone must do their part, and the Death-Sealing Spells must be taken. Taking separate paths two members of the group face their challenge in the form of two of Eikyuu's high priests. But can they stand up to the power that these priests hold? _

_See it all in, Freezing Tides and Howling Winds!_


	31. Freezing Tides and Howling Winds

Author's Note: At last, the conclusion to Nikolas and Dalin's duel!

**Chapter Thirty: Freezing Tides and Howling Winds**

"Clever Sumatin, really, I have to give you that. What would you have done had Selket figured out how you could tell what your cards were?" Dalin glanced briefly at Ihami, who sat next to him on the small plane that was taking them first to her destination, and then to his in order to obtain the necessary Death-Sealing Spells.

"He wasn't going to. His understanding of magic is directly related to his own unique abilities that revolve around the manipulation of the Earth. Thus he was unable to tell that I was using magic to recognize the specific aura of each card. A petty trick, but useful." It would be four hours before they arrived at her destination, where she would duel one of Eikyuu's high priests. They weren't certain which of the five it would be, but this was what they had chosen.

Ihami leaned in and trailed a hand Dalin's arm, a sultry smile on her face as she did so. "So…you specifically chose to be partnered up with me, is that so? Then I guess that means you want me…is that right?"

"It would be more accurate to say that I chose to be partnered with you because I simply do not trust you, and I trust myself to deal with you better than any of the others." Ihami sighed and pulled back, looking miffed that once again her feminine wiles had proven useless on him.

"So…I'm curious, what is it about me that makes me resistible to you, whereas with Isis you were perfectly willing to perform?" Dalin turned his head, his jade eyes glaring harshly at her. She just giggled and shrugged her shoulders and mouthed 'it was obvious'.

"I am…not what most people assume. You understand that, don't you?" The immortal girl smirked and kicked her feet up onto the top of the seat in front of her. The man in the other seat jerked around and glared at her, but with a single wink she had him grinning like a moron and turning away.

"Of course I do. I understand you better than anyone else in this world, except for one. But then again, you knew that part as well. So for me, it makes me want to know. What do you want?" Dalin paused, reached down and pulled the top card off his deck and held it up to his eyes. It was Justice For All.

"You already know the answer to that. Don't you?" He replaced the card, and turned to stare out the window. The clouds whipped past them as they soared through the air towards their destination.

"Of course. Better than anyone else except for that one person. Better than you do even."

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Ryu and Autumn shivered at roughly the same time, and pulled their jackets in tighter. They weren't happy about having been diverted on their route so they could come here, all the way to Mount Terror in Antarctica. Ryu considered the name and frowned. _'At least it's named after a ship, rather than because it's scary or something.'_

While they had to go together to face the high priest guarding this particular Death-Sealing Spell, Pegasus was staying the jet, making sure it remained warm and safe, or so he said. They were all going in groups so if one lost, there could be another to pick up the slack. Not that they appreciated the thought, but it was necessary.

The news of Isis' death had hit them both hard, even though neither had known the woman very hard. For them it meant that the dangers of their mission were now more real than they had ever been before. _'But we can't cower. We have to keep going.'_

"Lord Eikyuu informed me that you would be coming. Although I must admit to being surprised at weaklings such as you be the ones sent." They both turned around slowly, not looking for a fight. Standing just a dozen feet away was a man wearing a pitch black robe with the hood pulled up. At the top of the hood was an infinity symbol, but the man's face wasn't visible.

Ryu idly considered how the man was possibly warm in this Antarctic area in just what he had on, but one could never tell with these magic type people. "Try me and you'll see that I'm not weak. One way or another, I'm leaving here with that Death-Sealing Spell."

The man snorted from beneath his hood and raised his right arm, which had a black duel disk strapped to it. "Perhaps, but we'll see. I'll prove that you are weak and unworthy of the Death-Sealing Spell of Tide. I am High Priest of the Tide, Lorien." (LLP: 4000)

Ryu's own disk moved into place and he drew five cards at the same time as the priest did. "And I'm Ryu Shigeru. I don't have any fancy titles like yours, but I make up for it in pure guts!" (RLP: 4000)

Lorien chuckled and made a waving gesture with his free left hand. "Guts won't help you too much in this duel. But for all of your bravado I'll let you take the first turn."

"I'll show you just how wrong you are! Activate magic card, Get Ride! This lets me special summon level four or lower union monsters from my deck to the field in defense mode, one for each monster I discard. I'll discard my Crystal Dragon(2500/1900) so that I can special summon Crystal Templar(1600/1700)!" A warrior in crystal armor appeared on the field and immediately dropped into a crouch, arms held over his head.

"Your monster is weak, so I'm not worried." Lorien gasped when the field changed, and a huge dragon of at least twenty feet in height and with a crystalline body erupted from the ground next to the templar.

"Surprised? Why do you think I chose this specific union monster? See, when Crystal Templar is summoned I can summon Crystal Dragon from my grave if it's there. So now, since he can't otherwise move out from defense mode, I'll equip Crystal Templar to Crystal Dragon!" The templar moved out of his crouched position and clambered up onto the dragon's back, sitting comfortably at the base of its spine.

"Crystal Templar gives my Crystal Dragon a one hundred point bonus, plus an additional one hundred for every monster on your field. So if you summon my monster just gains strength. That's not all, I haven't made a normal summon this turn so I'll unleash Moonstone Warrior(1500/1300)!" This warrior had glowing blue armor and a sword that seemed to be made of iron rather than steel.

"Finally I throw a card face down, and then we'll see what you can do!" He smirked smugly, happy with his combo. He'd gotten out a strong union group as well as back-up in one turn, and certainly thrown his opponent for a loop.

Lorien paused after drawing, carefully considering the field. "You're strong, stronger than I thought. Unfortunately that won't do you any good against my deck. Activate magic card, Tidal Explosion! This sends all cards on the field to the grave at a cost of my battle phase and next draw phase."

Ryu frowned as a massive wave of water swept down over the field and washed away all of his carefully set up combinations, undoing all of his hard work. "So you call yourself good just because you've got a cheap card like that?"

"Don't attempt to taunt me; it won't do you any good. I summon Oxygedon(1800/800) in attack mode. Then I set two cards face down and end." The monster he had summoned appeared to be a dragon made out of continuously flowing air, and its wings were spread out wide to each side as it shrieked at Ryu.

Without another thought Ryu drew, determined to make a comeback from the losses he had taken because of that stupid Tidal Explosion card. "I play Monster Reborn, calling Crystal Dragon back to the field! And then I activate the quick-play magic card Revival of Diamond Blade! This lets me sacrifice my special summoned dragon to bring out Diamond Head Dragon(3500/2900)!"

An even larger dragon took to the field, its body a teal color but with its head and parts of its body covered by raw diamond. The diamond on its skull formed something of a horn. "Heh, this monster's attack and defense is determined by adding one thousand to the stats of the tributed monster. And he's strong enough to blow away your puny dragon and deal some serious damage!"

Diamond Head Dragon roared and then shattered into a million pieces, leaving no trace that it had been there. "What…what the heck happened?"

"My trap card, Slime Hole lets me destroy a specially summoned monster and gain its attack points as life points. So I have to thank you for supplying me with all that power." Ryu bit his lip to keep from cursing, knowing it would make him look like an amateur. And not only did a lot ride on this duel, but Autumn was watching. He wasn't going to fail now. (LLP: 7500)

"Fine, but I can still summon my newly drawn monster, Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)! And since this beauty has more attack points, I'll have it destroy your pathetic excuse for a dragon!" A beautiful blue skinned dragon flew down to the field and opened its jaws wide, breathing out a torrent of blue flame that ripped apart the fake dragon. (LLP: 7400)

"I'm afraid we'll both be taking more damage. You see, I activated my second trap when you attacked, my Helix Spell. This continuous trap lets me choose the sub-type of all monsters on your field, and yours became a pyro. When a fire or pyro monster destroys Oxygedon both players take eight hundred damage." A wash of flame briefly covered each duelist, making them flinch as their life points were stripped away. (LLP: 6600, RLP: 3200)

Since Ryu had no more cards in his hand, he was forced to end his turn. Lorien started without drawing, thanks to the effect of his own magic card, which put him at a disadvantage. "How interesting, I'll show you my real power shortly."

"I activate Contingency Fee. Surprisingly enough this card lets you draw until you hold six cards. In exchange it provides me with a fee of one thousand life points per drawn card. Since you hold zero cards, I gain six thousand life points." Ryu cursed mentally as his opponent's life points soared, even though it meant he got a brand new hand. He didn't appreciate having to burn away that many life points. (LLP: 12600)

Once Ryu was finished drawing Lorien held out his other card. "I play Bury the Dead, which lets me send three monsters from my deck to the grave. I choose three Draw Slimes(300/300). When sent to the grave they let me draw a card."

Quickly he searched his deck for the named cards, and once they were in the grave he drew the top three cards of his deck. "I summon Hydrogedon(1600/1000)."

His new monster looked like an ankliosaurus with a body made of brown air flowing at high speeds. Spikes extending from its back, and it looked like it could knock a tank down. "Strangely enough, this monster is a water type. So it benefits from my use of Umikura, a field card that gives all water types five hundred attack points and reduces their defense by four hundred."

The ground was swept over by water, leaving them waist deep in it. Their monsters now floated just above the water. "With that bonus, Hydrogedon will destroy Sapphire Dragon!"

The water dinosaur barreled forwards and slammed its body into Sapphire Dragon's, hurling the dragon backwards. It sank beneath the water and was gone. "When Hydrogedon destroys a monster in battle I can summon a second one in attack mode, so the second Hydrogedon attacks directly!"

This time it was Ryu who took the hit and he fell under the water. He gasped and struggled to his feet, feeling glad that the water wasn't completely real and was only induced by the Darkness Game. _'Good thing it's a low level Darkness Game, or I'd have frozen to death like that.' _(RLP: 1000)

"You see? You really are weak. I need not do anything else, as this will be enough to destroy you." Ryu snapped a card up and added it to his hand, barely resisting the urge to scream and curse violently. He was looking like a fool in front of Autumn and this damned priest guy!

"I won't appear as a weakling, so I'll activate Dragon Lord's Call! This card is a Flute of Summoning Dragon that needs no Lord of Dragons to use. So meet Ruby Dragon(1600/1200). Sadly I have no other dragons in hand." His new dragon was a red skinned version of Sapphire Dragon, down to every last detail including the rounded shape of its skull.

"Now that may seem odd, but here's my reason. I play Brain Control to seize one of your Hydrogedons for myself for the turn. Then I tribute them both for Sapphire God Soldier(2800/2000)!" A mighty warrior drifted down to the water, his body covered by shimmering blue armor and his right hand clutching a long sword of sapphire.

"Sapphire God Soldier, destroy the remaining Hydrogedon!" He nodded in affirmation and charged across the field, using his sapphire blade to slice right through the water dinosaur. The monster rippled and then shattered seconds later. (LLP: 11900)

Ryu slid one of his three remaining cards into his duel disk and then flashed a smirk at his opponent. "It's been touch and go so far, but trust me; this duel will be mine, even with all those life points of yours."

Lorien growled, his eyes flashing darkly beneath his hood as he drew. After seeing whatever it was he just laughed, his irritation vanishing. "I play Renewal of Triplets, reviving all three of my Draw Slimes(300/300). Then I play Sacrifice to the Ocean, which lets me revive one water monster from the grave for every monster I tribute. So that's three isn't it?"

The three orange slimes faded away just as quickly as they had appeared, and in their place came the two Hydrogedons and the one Oxyegedon. "Next I draw three cards since my three Draw Slimes went to the grave."

A quick glance at the three new cards gave him a plan for his move. "I play Magic Calling Efforts, sacrificing cards on my field to add magic cards to my hand. I'll just tribute Umikura to add this magic card to hand."

He held up a card from his deck as the water around their waists vanished, leaving them just standing on top of the snow. Ryu sighed in relief at not having to deal with the icy water any longer. "Now, I'll show you my strongest monster! I play Bonding H2O, sacrificing my two 'hydrogen' and my one 'oxygen' to summon Water Dragon(2800/2600)!"

An entirely new monster formed as the three element monsters joined together, creating a twenty-five foot tall dragon made of raw rushing water. It craned its neck down and sprayed water all over Sapphire God Dragon. "Once per turn Water Dragon can reduce all fire and pyro monsters in play to zero attack points, so your once proud and strong soldier is at zero. All thanks to my Helix Spell trap. Which means…attack with Aqua Punisher!"

A massive spray of water crashed into Sapphire God Soldier's chest, sweeping completely over him and onwards to Ryu. Lorien smiled beneath his hood, satisfied that he had proved himself strong in the eyes of his god. "You see? You are too weak." (RLP: 100)

Ryu chuckled and clambered back to his feet, looking wet and annoyed, but otherwise happy and healthy. Lorien couldn't help the gasp of shock that rose from his throat at the sight of those life points, and more so at the sight of a crouched Sapphire God Soldier. "Not smart are you? I used my trap card Hitch a Ride to union my Sapphire God Soldier with Sapphire Dragon in the grave. Normally the new monster has the bonus of God Soldier's attack, but in this case it ended up just being Sapphire Dragon's base attack points. So I took nine hundred damage and survived."

"I see, so you lucked out then? You're still weak, and barely surviving. So go ahead and begin your turn, it won't save you against the wrath of Water Dragon. Or me." Ryu responded by drawing another card.

"Lucked out…no, I'll show you my retaliation and that I didn't luck out! Field magic card, activate! Kingdom of the Dragons!" Upon the field card's activation their entire playing area changed. The snow vanished and was replaced by large rolling fields, with rock spires jutting up at random intervals. Large nests could be seen in those spires, showing where the dragons rested.

"Kingdom of the Dragons increases the attack and defense points of all dragons by three hundred. Also, once per turn it lets a player special summon a dragon from their deck no matter the cost for half their life points. So it's my turn, and I'll be paying half my life points to special summon this supreme dragon, one of the three gods of dragons that I'm capable of unleashing!" A massive roar shook the kingdom, and a blast of fire shot into the air in the distance. (RLP: 50)

The creature that soared into the sky practically blotted out the sun with its bulk. Even though it was hovering high above their heads it was clear that it was tremendous in size. It had four legs, much like a western dragon, but horns extended from the back of its huge skull like an eastern dragon. Lorien stared up at it, unable to contain his awe at the massive beast. "What…what is that?"

"Lorien, I present to you the supreme master of my deck, the dragon that can normally only be summoned by sacrificing three level seven or higher dragons. Bahamut, God-King of Dragons(6500/5000)!" Neither Lorien nor Autumn could find it in them to make a sound as the dragon god circled above them.

Bahamut roared and the ground beneath their feet shook, trembling with the sheer force of it. "Bahamut gains five hundred attack points for every dragon in the cemetery, which means since I've got four dragons he gains an additional two thousand attack points!"

"Now, using option number two of Kingdom of the Dragons I can discard dragons from my hand to draw cards. So I'll discard Diamond Dragon(2100/2800) and Emerald Dragon(2400/1400) to draw twice." He shoved the two cards he was holding into the grave and then drew two brand new cards. Instantly Bahamut's attack rose another thousand points.

Lorien took two steps back, fearing for his life. "Strong as your dragon is, it can't end this now, and I'll make sure to crush it next turn!"

"Sorry Lorien, but I told you that this is my retaliation. For mocking me, I'll use this magic card. Unshakable Fury of the Dragon! For the duration of the turn the attack points of one dragon on my field double, meaning this is the end! Bahamut, attack with Omega Flare!" Lorien screamed as an enormous wave of energy shot out of Bahamut's open jaws and consumed him, along with a massive swath of land in the direction that the blast was fired. (LLP: 0)

Ryu let out his breath, relaxing slightly now that the duel was done. It had been a good duel, and both easier and more difficult than he would have expected. And lying in the snow where Lorien had previously been was a simple crystal sphere with a blue glow inside. "So…this is the Death-Sealing Spell of Tide huh? I never expected it to be so small, or so…beautiful."

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Alice sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the older woman following her. They were on their way to the far side of Chicago, and she was partnered with Hikari. Honestly she would have preferred to be paired with her senpai, but there was nothing to be done about it. _'At least I get to be the one to duel first. And at least I didn't get paired with that bore Rishid.'_

That thought gave her pause and she wished she hadn't thought it. She might not get along with the man, but he wasn't here because he had taken Isis' body to Egypt, in order to give her a proper burial. _'Isis….why did it have to be you?'_

Naturally there was no answer, but that couldn't be helped. She just wished that her senpai had shown greater concern for Isis' welfare rather than rushing them along as fast as possible. Sometimes it bothered her that he seemed so cold about a lot of things. _'And weren't they involved in some way? I'm jealous…but shouldn't he have had more of a reaction?'_

"Hikari…do you know how Dalin and Isis were involved? I mean…to what degree." The older woman frowned and tried to decide just how much to say. After several seconds she remembered that despite bouts of intense immaturity the other girl was in fact twenty-one and not some flighty teenager.

"From what I know they were intimate. Physically that is. I asked Dalin about her once and he told me that he had no right to be with any person until his own life was resolved enough. I'm not sure what he meant though." Alice smiled, because she knew him well enough to understand what he had meant.

"I do. He meant that until he knew more about his own past he couldn't let himself stay still and commit himself. It makes me sad to think about it, but there's even a chance that senpai is married, and that some lucky woman out there is waiting for him, or maybe thinks he's dead. He can't commit without that knowledge." Both of them sighed together, feeling a bit of sadness at the thought that the man who had become their leader was a person who couldn't move on with his life until he knew the truth.

"You are the ones who Lord Eikyuu sent to challenge me? Little girls…how boring." Both women spun around, duel disks clicking into place at the sound of the voice. Standing about fifteen feet behind them on the abandoned street was a man in a black robe, his face concealed. The hood of the robe had an infinity symbol on it, meaning he was one of Eikyuu's High Priests.

The robed priest tapped a button on his black disk, causing it to move into the on position. Carefully he slid a deck into it, ignoring the gust of wind from the windy city that billowed his robes out to the left. "I am the High Priest of the Wind, who holds the Death-Sealing Spell of Gust. You can call me Cyrus. Which of you is my opponent?" (CLP: 4000)

Alice stepped forward, motioning with her arm for Hikari to step away. The girl gave her room, and purple fog swept around their feet, the only indication a Darkness Game had begun. Likely it was only a level one. "I'm Alice, and this "little girl" is going to take you apart!" (ALP: 4000)

The blonde girl flipped six cards off of her deck and registered them as quickly as possible, just as she had learned to do back at her days in Duelist Academy and under Dalin's tutelage. "I summon Atomic Punk(1200/1400) in attack mode, and set one card. End!"

Cyrus slid a card off his deck, and then his field card slot opened up. "Hmph. I activate Rising Air Current, which will give all wind types a five hundred attack point boost and reduce their defense by 400. Then I summon Hurricane Priest(1500/1000)."

A man in sky blue robes and a ball of air in one hand appeared across from the dark skinned man with the mohawk on Alice's field. "Hurricane Priest gives all wind types in play a three hundred point boost. Together with Rising Air Current that means his attack is twenty-three hundred. And it means he'll slay Atomic Punk!"

Atomic Punk reached behind his back and pulled out a guitar. He strummed a single cord and a solid blast of sound struck Hurricane Priest, dropping him to his knees before he could attack. "Atomic Punk can once per turn switch the mode of any monster on the opponent's field. So now your monster is in defense with a weakened six hundred defense points. Take that natch!"

Beneath his hood Cyrus was scowling, annoyed at having been bested in his first turn by such a little girl. "I set one card face down. End turn…little girl."

Alice smirked as she drew, knowing she wouldn't have to deal with this jerk too much longer. "Really, you're not that great of a duelist are you? I summon Nuclear Medic(1000/900). Once per turn he raises my life points by 200 for each monster with atomic, nuclear, or radioactive in its name." (ALP: 4400)

The newest monster looked a normal woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a nurse's outfit. The major difference was that she had a nuclear warning sign on the front of her uniform. "Nuclear Medic attacks Hurricane Priest!"

Cyrus' set card instantly flipped up, and a heavy gust of wind knocked Nuclear Medic backwards before she made it half-way across the field. "My Heavy Air Current lets me pay five hundred life points to negate an attack on any wind monster. And it's a permanent card." (CLP: 3500)

"In that case, I have Atomic Punk attack as well!" The rocker plucked a string, sending a shock of sound at the defense mode priest. Instantly another blast of wind shot out of the face-up trap, canceling the sound and causing the rocker to stumble backwards. (CLP: 3000)

Alice smirked and flipped over one of the four remaining cards she had in her hand. "Go magic card, Atomic Energy Pulse! If I've got an atomic monster in play, you take two hundred damage for each one!"

A blast of green glowing energy hit Cyrus head-on, shoving him a few feet backwards. He scowled beneath his mask, even more bothered that he was losing to this blonde little thing. "Are you quite done?" (CLP: 2800)

"Sure old man, go ahead and take your turn. Not like it'll help, so you don't seem to be much of a duelist at all." She tossed him a saucy grin, which he snorted in reply to and drew.

His deep voiced laughter told Alice that he had drawn something good. And when he slid it into his duel disk she knew for sure. "I play Storm of Desolation! For every open zone on your field you must discard cards from your hand and your deck. You have seven open zones, so you lose the three in your hand and four from your deck!"

Alice bit her tongue and dumped her hand and the top four cards of her deck into the grave. "Dumping my hand won't let you beat me, so if you want to try anything you've got to do better than that!"

"Oh I will little girl. For instance, I play Coming of the Divine Wind. This lets me sacrifice a Hurricane Priest to summon a Lord of the Hurricane(2700 +500/2400) from my deck!" Hurricane Priest vanished, and was replaced by a towering man in majestic royal blue robes. He held a white scepter in his right hand, which had a swirling orb of wind capping the top.

"And for your information, Lord of the Hurricane destroys all magic and trap cards on your field when summoned. In addition, he's immune to monster effects." Alice gulped as her defensive set card was blown away. What was worse was that her Atomic Punk's effect wouldn't work on him.

"Lord of the Hurricane, attack and destroy Nuclear Medic! Hurricane of Lord's Might!" The lord aimed his staff at the female medic and a huge tornado exploded from the orb. It sucked up the medic and pulled her into the orb, where she was lost from sight. (ALP: 2200)

He sneered and folded his arms over his chest, feeling satisfied that he had even them up quite a bit. "Turn end."

The blonde girl top-decked, and scowled at the sight of a tribute monster. "I switch Atomic Punk to defense mode and end my turn."

Cyrus drew, and then pointed to Atomic Punk. "Hurricane of Lord's Might!" Just like the medic before him the rocker was sucked up into the orb, leaving no trace that he was ever there. And worst of all, it meant that Alice was in deep trouble.

"Ah, now that I've cleared your field of that pesky punk, I summon Gust Harpy(1700 +500/1300). Then I end my turn." His new monster was similar in appearance to Harpy Lady, but instead of the normal outfit this one wore a white gown.

Alice took a deep breath and drew, then scowled and threw the monster down. "Radioactive Wall of Flesh(0/2200) in defense mode."

Her defense monster was literally a wall of glowing green flesh. And right now, it was the only thing keeping her from losing the duel. "End."

_'Its effect will come in handy, but it's only a temporary defense. How am I supposed to hold out like this? If I could maybe draw a defensive trap, or a draw card I'd be fine but if I don't do it quick then I'm finished!'_ Even though she couldn't see his face, she somehow knew he had a smug smirk on his face as he drew.

"Really, you're not that impressive. I'm actually bored with this duel. So I'll finish it this turn. Hurricane of Lord's Might!" Alice shivered as the powerful gust of wind moved over her field at the same time as an actual gust of wind came through the city.

"My Wall of Flesh may be gone, but when it goes to the grave all damage to me for the turn is reduced by half." Cyrus sighed and shook his head, before snapping his fingers. The harpy took flight and soared across the field, using the claws on her feet to scratch Alice across the chest. (ALP: 1100)

"Really, you are pathetic. Little girl, just surrender. You're not even worth playing with." He chuckled at his own joke, not realizing just how deep a blow he was making against Alice. She narrowed her eyes and reached for her next card, filling her determination flaring.

"Let me tell you, I've got a lot riding on this duel. I've come too far in proving my worth to this group to fail now, so I'm going to use my ultimate monster to blow you away! Activate magic card, Ignition of Nuclear Power! First I pay eight hundred life points…." (ALP: 300)

She gripped the last card in her hand and slammed it down onto the field. "And now I can summon a monster with 'nuclear' in its name from my hand. In this case, the monster of my choice is none other than Nuclear Dragon(3000/2800)!"

A huge form appeared in place of her previous monsters. It was a huge red dragon with mechanical plating all along its form, and there was a faint green glow coming from it. "Nuclear Dragon's special effect activates at a cost of half my life points on being summoned!" (ALP: 150)

The dragon opened its mouth wide and spewed out a huge swath of toxic waste over Cyrus' field. The priest screamed and stumbled backwards, trying to avoid the toxic chemicals that were covering his field. "What is this insanity!"

"It's Nuclear Dragon's special effect which destroys every monster on your field! And with your field cleared your trap is totally useless. In other words, Nuclear Dragon ends it!" The toxic waste swept Cyrus' feet out from under him, tossing him about until finally he came to a crashing halt against a brick wall. Slowly the waste faded away as the field cleared. (CLP: 0)

Cyrus groaned as he rose to his feet and pulled something out from within his robes. "You proved me wrong little girl. For that I offer my congratulations. Here is the orb containing the Death-Sealing Spell of Gust. Use it well."

Alice took the crystal orb out of his hand and held it up to the light, examining it. It was simple and clear, except for the center which was swirling white air, solid enough to be visible. "Yes! Victory!"

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Drake skidded backwards as the powerful blast of energy struck him head-on. The unleashed power of Armed Dragon LV10 had managed to finish him off, sending his life points plummeting to zero. "Damn…" (DLP: 0)

His father sighed and turned away, shaking his head as he walked in the opposite direction. "Still you can't grasp what is needed to really gain true control over yourself in all aspects of life. I'll be over here while you come to grips with yourself, and understand that your pure determination won't cut it anymore. Or did you think it was always going to be enough? Until you do, we're done."

Drake shoved himself back up into a sitting position and from there clambered to his feet. He raised his left arm, duel disk still in position, and swiftly shuffled up his deck. "Not yet! I'm not done yet; we're not going to quite until I figure it out, one way or another!"

Since his back was turned to his son, Masue felt perfectly fine with smiling. He couldn't help but be pleased by the focus his son showed. Yet still, that determination wasn't going to work out as well as it had previously. "How do you think just using your determination is going to teach you the lessons you need to learn?"

"Because the best things in life are learned through practice and effort. So I'll struggle through the bog until I figure it out, even if I have to use my greatest trait of determination to do it! Just because determination won't cut it doesn't mean I should just discard my determination!" Masue settled for another smile out of his son's view.

"Good, you understand that much at least. But just how far are you willing to push your determination? How far will you go to understand and surpass your former limits? Especially considering you don't even have a reason to fight at the moment." Drake clenched his fists, his body trembling under the strain of dozens of all-out battles and high level Darkness Games. He felt weaker than he had in a very long time, but he wouldn't let that stop him.

"To find a dream, to have a reason to continue with my life and keep fighting…I'll let my determination push me to the edge of death and beyond if that's what it takes! If I can't find a reason to keep going and to fight then there's no purpose for me living at all! So I'm going to throw everything I have into discovery a purpose for myself!" Masue smiled even broader as he felt his son's energy flare, soaring up and up, almost as if he had never played the past three Darkness Games.

"Good. Then let us continue!"

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Author's Notes: Natch! I love that word.

_Next Time: Two of the Death-Sealing Spells have been recovered, but somehow it has been too easy. Nothing feels right, but still they must press on. Dalin now moves to face the next High Priest, but happenings elsewhere bring up some critical questions for the group. Where are Drake, Kirani, Kai, and Takuya? _

_See it all in, Roar of Thunder!_


	32. Roar of Thunder

Author's Note: Now for the next elemental duel.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Roar of Thunder**

The scene was far from a pleasant one. At best it would be described as a scene of bloodshed and at worst it would be described as the scene of a violent massacre. It was enough that even someone who had seen violence before would have difficulty looking at it.

Though once mighty, the remains of Kedamono the guard of the sacred Eastern Door now gave the impression of pain. Every bit and piece that was left of the giant guardian seemed to emanate that feeling, as if horrible pain had been poured into them and left there to fester and grow.

His dark red blood had since dried on the ground, but that just made the smell that much worse. Flies buzzed around the various parts of the corpse, and scavengers had since taken their fill of his body. "By all things that are holy…what could have done this?"

Takuya Shinomori knelt on the ground and covered his mouth with his right hand, biting back the bile that had risen on the sight. It had been days since he had last seen Kai, and that was worrying him. After his own release from the hospital he had rushed straight out here, only to be met by this sight.

Even here there was no sign of Kai, which didn't make Takuya feel any better about the situation. He knew that if Kai was capable of it he would have made himself known. Since he hadn't, that meant something was wrong. "Kai…where are you?"

"That's a difficult question to answer I'm afraid." Takuya jumped to his feet and raised his fists defensively, prepared to strike whoever or whatever came within range. But to his surprise he found a familiar face waiting for him, even though that person hadn't spoken.

The one who had spoken appeared to be somewhat older, a man in a casual suit who appeared to be in his late twenties. "What's going on here?"

The former speaker frowned slightly as he looked out around at the carnage, apparently not noticing the sickened looks of his three female companions. "I'm afraid that I'm not sure myself. Although I fear the worst and know that we came too late. My name is Tokuha Kajika, and I assume you're Takuya Shinomori."

Takuya nodded and slowly lowered his fists, feely mostly relaxed around these four. But he was perfectly prepared to leap into a defensive position if the situation called for it. "That's right. So, Kajika huh? So he's your brother then, right Kirani?"

Kirani put her right hand on her hip and took a deep breath, refocusing herself away from the carnage around them. She shot a glance at her older brother and then looked back at Takuya. "Yes, he is. I came with them to stop something from happening, but it looks like it's too late. And if we're late, then it's likely that Kai is…well I don't know for sure, but it doesn't look good for him."

The martial artist grimaced even though he had already come to that conclusion. He still didn't like hearing it come from another person and therefore confirming it for him. Suddenly a though struck him. "Kirani…if you're with your brother and what I'm guessing are your sisters, then where's Drake? Did you guys get separated in Madrid or something?"

Kirani's bright eyes widened and her brother looked back at her. She gave him a brief nod, and then returned her attention to Takuya. "What you just said…it just told us something we were afraid of. I never heard anything from Drake about Madrid. Whoever you talked to…that wasn't Drake. Or at least not exactly."

First response from Takuya was to blink and then he saw it as a revelation. "On the plane…Kai was talking to me about how strange and extra violent Drake seemed at the midnight meeting. I thought he was being paranoid because of the tension between them, but now that I think about it he was right. Drake nearly started a fight between the two of them over absolutely nothing, and seemed to generally be ruder than normal. So if that wasn't really Drake, then who was it?"

"A mistake of mine I guess you could say. Before the meeting Drake was drugged and kidnapped by a woman named Yumi, who used to lead the gang he was in. She dueled me in a Darkness Game, and because I passed out during it she was considered the winner, and her Penalty Game released something Drake almost always keeps under the surface. The personality that consists of every aspect of himself that he hates, all of it magnified. And when we dueled I just barely won, but my Penalty Game…I think it released him in an actual body." Takuya stared at her for several seconds as he tried to process all the information that had just been thrown at him.

"You're saying that wandering around out there is someone who looks exactly like Drake, but is actually a version of Drake that's I don't know…pure evil or something? And that's the Drake that we told about the Concordance of Legends?" Tokuha's eyes widened measurably, the first emotion that had shown on his calm face since he had appeared.

Instantly Tokuha was in his face, his eyes ablaze with something Takuya couldn't recognize. Perhaps it was fear, maybe something else. "Concordance of Legends? This dark monstrosity has been sent to retrieve the Concordance of Legends? And now it seems that this entrance has been defiled…it seems that our time is running thin."

Tokuha whirled around and gestured to his siblings as he started to walk away, beckoning them to follow. "We have much work to do, and little time to do it in. Takuya Shinomori, speak with your leader and tell him about this situation. The hourglass is almost empty. He will understand."

Takuya rushed after them, determined to get some real answers out of them. "Wait a second! What's so important about the Concordance of Legends? What are you searching for?"

The air around the four siblings shimmered and when it returned to normal there was no sign of any of them. Takuya skidded to a stop and looked around but saw nothing. "Damn…what's going on?"

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Rishid's eyes were downcast as he walked at the head of a small train of men in black robes, all of whom had their heads shaved. In between them was a casket, and within that casket was the body of Isis. _'She would have wanted to be laid to rest in the very same place in which she was raised.'_

He had returned to Egypt with her body in order to lay her to rest, to give her some peace at last. The whole process seemed made to depress him further, but it was his duty as her adoptive brother. _'First Malik and now Isis. I truly have failed them.'_

"Yes, you certainly have." Rishid stopped in his tracks at the sound of that voice and spun around. Just as he had suspected the dozen men acting as escorts and who were carrying the casket were all standing completely still. It was as if time had frozen.

Sitting cross-legged on top of the casket was a young man wearing a white tank-top and tan loose fitting pants. His black hair fell in front of his eyes, keeping them from view. His skin was bronze enough to be considered Egyptian and he spoke the language perfectly. "You…Israfel!"

The man who had given claim to being the angel of music smiled warmly and stood up, his weight not disturbing the coffin in the least bit. "It's good to be remembered. It seems that the woman has fallen. In addition, you've failed to pay heed to my warnings."

Rishid frowned, and not just because there was a strange man with eyes that could suck out your soul standing on top of his adoptive sister's casket while time was frozen. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

Israfel shrugged and placed his hands behind his head, still smiling. "That's because your existence is wholly without merit, but I'll explain it anyway. Slowly."

The angel raised his right hand above his head and then brought it down until he was pointing right at Rishid. He smirked and suddenly Rishid felt a wave of dizziness hit him. "Remember."

_Suddenly Rishid stopped and shivered. Isis followed the path his eyes were taking as he scanned the rooftops. She gave him a questioning look, and he answered immediately. "I felt as if someone's eyes were boring into my very soul. I did not like it."_

"_Jumpy aren't you?" Alice yelped, and both Isis and Rishid spun back to see who had spoken. Standing just a handful of feet away, perched on a cart selling melons, was a bronze skinned young man, looking just slightly older than Alice._

_Isis was a very self-aware person. It wasn't often that she lost focus on her surroundings, so she was not caught off guard when she noticed that nobody around them was moving. It was as if time had stopped. "Who are you?"_

_The bronze skinned man smiled, his midnight locks falling down across his face to cover his eyes, making it impossible to tell if he was looking at them directly. Idly he reached up one hand and brushed imaginary dust off his brown desert robes. "A shame, a true and utter shame that you nobody recognizes me these days."_

_Rishid frowned, a look that was made even more dangerous by his stony features. He stepped out in front of Isis, towering over the seated younger man. "We have never met you before. Now give your name and state your business or you will regret it."_

_Despite being confronted by a much bigger man, the young Egyptian looking man just grinned, looking quite cocky. He tilted his head up, and the hair parted, giving Rishid a look into eyes that were had no pupils, and were darker than the night itself. "Little man…I could eat you alive."_

_Rishid clutched his chest suddenly, feeling as if something was being pulled at within his body, within the very core of his being. It was a burning and tearing sensation that sent intense flashes of pain through his mind. In mere moments he was on the ground, twitching and clutching his chest. "Just a few moments more and I'll find out what your soul tastes like."_

"_Release him and speak! I'll listen to what you have to say, just stop this!" The young man shrugged and lifted his gaze from the fallen Egyptian man. His bangs fell across his eyes again, concealing them as he looked in Isis and Alice's direction._

"_My name is Israfel. A pleasure to meet you." He extended one hand out to her, which she refused to take. Alice was standing completely behind her, terrified of the young man who had somehow nearly killed Rishid just by looking at him directly._

"_That's not polite behavior. Don't act like I'm evil, I'm far from it. In fact, I come bearing advice for you, that's why I've temporarily placed us in a pocket of time separate from the rest of the time stream." His newest smile looked rather eerie in that it was both friendly, amused, and frightening._

"_You tried to kill Rishid merely because he threatened you. What advice do you have that makes you worth listening to?" Israfel vanished, appeared to their right perched on top of an unlabeled brown box. His hidden eyes seemed to shift over to Rishid, and the tall Egyptian shuddered and stood to his feet._

"_There, he's all better. Its best if mortals learn lessons in respect before someone truly cruel does something. As for my advice, well I'm sure you're aware that the apocalypse is coming, correct?" Isis nodded, still not sure what to make of this strange man._

_Israfel laced his fingers together and placed his folded hands over his right knee, propping his chin on top of that. "The dinner of in honor of Osiris, the plot by Set to slay his brother, such things are to come to pass again. The champion is the destroyer, the savior the Satan. That's basically it."_

_To the strange man's surprise, and to the shock of Isis and Rishid, there was a sudden snort following the comment. "That's it? A bunch of cryptic nonsense and then you'll just head off? The fate of the world is in the balance and that's what you give us? Hell, why should we even trust you anyways?"_

_Rishid stepped between Israfel and Alice immediately, keeping him from looking directly at her. Isis on the other hand turned around to face Alice, looking upset. "Alice, I understand that your knowledge is limited, however you must know this. Israfel is the name of the Angel of Song, who is said to come and blow his trumpet as the apocalypse begins."_

_Israfel laughed happily, slapping a leg with one hand, looking positively overjoyed by the response. "I always forget that you mortals don't really get how things work. Yet it's always so refreshing to be called by that term. You know, I was mortal once as well, a very long time ago."_

_Isis turned, looking for answers, but before she could even ask a question Israfel waved a hand, brushing her off. "Don't think about it too much. Just know that there is only so much I'm allowed to tell you. You'll come to understand the truth soon enough. If the Satan of this age is born, know that the apocalypse will come. That is your goal. Farewell."_

Rishid felt shaky as the vision of the past faded, returning him to the present where based on the fact that Israfel's finger was still pointed at him and smile was still on his face, Rishid assumed no time had passed. "Your warning…how could we take you as being trustworthy after you nearly killed me."

Israfel snorted but continued to smile. "You mortals are always so squeamish and uppity, never remembering who your betters are. I gave you the warning for a good reason, albeit not the same one you would have wanted it for. But it was true nevertheless. Know that everything I say is the truth."

None of that made Rishid feel any better about the advice. "Why do you come now to bring this advice to me? Why me to begin with, why not someone else? Someone like Dalin Imaki Sumatin?"

"Again, that's something that depends on how you view the world. Since you don't view it the same way I do, I can hardly explain my reasoning to you now can I? Keep my words in mind should you receive any strange visitors. And to any request you are given by strange visitors, I would suggest saying no." He hopped off the coffin and onto the dusty road, landing in between two of the casket bearers.

He gave Rishid a curt nod and then walked away, whistling a merry little tune that was somehow familiar to Rishid. Likely it was a song he had heard somewhere before. "Farewell once again tomb keeper."

Israfel's body faded away, dissipating like mist. As soon as there was no trace of him the casket bearers started moving again, unaware that they had been frozen at all. Rishid felt his heart thudding in his chest as a powerful sense of foreboding came over him. _'It's like the air is filled with something tangible…like an emotion. It's powerful, but I don't recognize it.'_

"So, he's gone is he? Took the jackass long enough. My turn to crash the party." The arrogant voice interjected itself, and when all of the casket bearers looked up Rishid knew time hadn't been frozen again for them.

Something was physically hurled into the bearers, sending three of them sprawling over the casket. Since it was now unsupported on one side the coffin collapsed to the ground and nearly burst open. A cocky laugh rang across the street and someone stepped out of the shadows and planted a foot against the fallen coffin. "Been a while Rishid buddy old boy. But sad to say there's not time to reminisce as I've got to have a little chat with Isis. Where is Hottie McTan anyway?"

The pitch-black sleeveless trench coat that covered the lithe muscular form would have told Rishid who it was, even if the cocky attitude and reddish brown hair hadn't. None other than Daisuke Ihachi looked up at him, but something was different about him. "What…Daisuke…what happened to you?"

The other man smirked in that eager and cocky manner he had; only this time it seemed to have an edge of malice to it. He raised his right hand to his right eye, which was now a gouged out hole with a scar extending up from it over his forehead and two inches down his cheek. His left eye was the same violet shade as before. "This? Just making preparations, that's all. And also, don't call me Daisuke. My name is D'raka."

Rishid felt a powerful chill running up his spine at the sound of that name. His eyes trailed to the casket that "D'raka's" foot was on. "Isis was murdered just two days ago. Now leave, this isn't the time for whatever you want."

D'raka snorted and shoved the lid of the coffin off with his booted toe. It crashed to the ground on the other side, revealing Isis in a white gown, arms crossed over her chest. "So, the bitch really did drop dead eh? No matter, I can deal with that. She's one of two who keeps the secret I need, so I'll have to drag it out of her undead corpse."

The Egyptian felt his blood boil as D'raka spoke about defiling her body. He couldn't allow anything to happen to her, not even in death. "You will do nothing of the sort!"

He charged at D'raka only to have the shorter man backhand him away without even looking at him. Rishid's body did a full spin in the air before he crashed onto the ground, his lip bleeding from the blow. "Keh, measure your own capacity before trying to fight me."

Rishid lifted his head and his eyes widened as he finally saw what D'raka had hurled at the casket bearers, who by now had already fled the area. "That's...but…did you?"

D'raka followed Rishid's gaze, finally settling on the object he was staring at. "Oh, that. Yeah I did. I needed to see a little bit about suffering from his tolerance I guess."

"You…you killed Kai in order to satisfy some sick sense of curiosity? Testing his tolerance, or were you testing your own tolerance to gore? Seeing just how much you liked it maybe? Monster!" D'raka just snorted and planted his boot on the back of Rishid's head and shoved it into the dirt.

"I just wanted to murder someone. Don't weird it up." D'raka removed his boot and reached down and grabbed Isis' body by the throat and easily lifted her out of the coffin. Her body hung limply in his grip and he examined it carefully.

"Get your filthy hands off her you animal!" D'raka growled and slammed his boot back down on the top of Rishid's skull, crushing his nose into the ground. Rishid could feel the blood pooling around his face, so his nose was definitely broken.

"I will take you apart in alphabetical order if you do not shut up. Understand?" Finally he pulled his foot off the older man's head and then rolled him over onto his back with his foot. D'raka made a flicking gesture with his hand and the body of Kai Kaethen floated into the air and over to him. He dropped the body unceremoniously across Rishid's stomach.

Back and forth he looked between the bodies he had gathered, and finally he looked specifically at Rishid and grinned. "Now that I think about it, I've got a bit of a request to make."

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Dalin drew his fifth card and his opponent, who claimed to be Moreth the High Priest of Thunder, did exactly the same. Moreth drew a sixth card, indicating that he intended to go first. As soon as he drew the card a purple fog rolled in as the Darkness Game started. "Let's see just how mighty you are Sumatin." (MLP: 4000, DLP: 4000)

Moreth slapped a card onto his duel disk and a green lizard about six feet long appeared on his field. "Meet my Thunder Lizard(1600/1300). And sadly for you, each turn he deals three hundred points of damage to the opponent!"

The lizard opened up its mouth and fired a blast of lightning out. The lightning struck Dalin and crackled all over his body, but he didn't even flinch. Off to the side Ihami grinned, knowing that she was going to enjoy the show. "Is that all?" (DLP: 3700)

Moreth seemed slightly put off that Dalin didn't seem to be affected by the damage, but shook it off quickly enough. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Dalin drew and carefully placed the card onto his duel disk. "I will retaliate with Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0). Uranus attacks with Benevolent Wave!"

The yellow skinned angel raised one palm and several waves of yellow light were released. They reached out for the giant lizard, but was stopped as one of Moreth's set card flipped up. "Reveal trap card, Storm Barrier! This destroys your attacking monster and deals you seven hundred damage!"

Dozens of lightning bolts broke the waves of light apart and coursed through Uranus' body. The angel shook for a few seconds and then blew apart. "Not only that, but now Thunder Lizard uses its damage effect!"

A ball of lightning hit Dalin head on, but just like the previous time he was unfazed by the effect damage. Even if he was falling behind in life points so early he was perfectly calm. "Your Thunder Lizard is quite effective, I must admit." (DLP: 2700)

Dalin slipped two cards into his duel disk, just like Moreth had done during his turn. "End turn."

As soon as Moreth drew another lightning ball struck Dalin and burned away another patch of his life points. "You don't seem to even blink, but that's alright. I'll defeat you even if you don't react to anything I do the whole duel!" (DLP: 2400)

He held the drawn card up to his eyes and smirked beneath his cowl. Dalin knew he was being mocked from beneath that cowl, even though he couldn't see Moreth's face. "I activate the magic card Thunder Trinity, and all it costs me is my entire battle phase!"

Twin lightning bolts shot down from the sky, one striking on either side of Thunder Lizard. "For that simple cost my Thunder Trinity card lets me special summon two copies of any single monster on my field. Which means I now get two more Thunder Lizards!"

The glow from the lightning faded, revealing two more giant lizards, each one with a jaw filled with electricity. "My lizards are eager to burn your life points, so I'll activate their damage effects, taking away six hundred more of your life points!"

Two consecutive lightning bolts struck Dalin who merely stared impassively at Moreth. Moreth's left eye twitched, irritated about the lack of reaction despite his current hefty lead. "You're really an emotionless lump aren't you? Pity." (DLP: 1800)

"My emotional state is unimportant. What is important is this duel, so please feel free to continue your turn instead of wasting time on useless words." Moreth felt the urge to attack his opponent, but knew it was against the rules to physically strike someone during a duel and during a Darkness Game. He'd have to settle for dealing more life point damage.

"It doesn't matter if you talk much or not, just watch me win! Since I haven't normal summoned this turn I'll do so by summoning Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) whose special effect lets me draw one card from the top of my deck and one card from the bottom!" A young warrior in light blue armor and holding a medium sized sword took to the field. As soon as it did Moreth drew the two cards.

Dalin felt mild surprise at the sight of a monster he had seen Kirani use a number of times before. He had never honestly expected to see anyone else use it, even though it wasn't an extraordinarily rare card. "Hah, now I activate Lightning Bolt, which lets me destroy one card on the field. I choose your left set card!"

A single bolt of lightning shot out of the magic card, skewering the named card and blowing it apart. Dalin made note of it and slid the destroyed trap card into the cemetery. "Since my battle phase is gone, I'll set one card face down and end it there."

When Dalin drew the three Thunder Lizards had already gathered electricity into their mouths. Moreth snapped his right hand up and the three lizards launched their salvo. "My trio of Thunder Lizards will shock you out of half of your remaining life points!" (DLP: 900)

As soon as the electricity had stopped pumping through his body Dalin took one of the cards from his hand and held it up. "I play Coming of Heaven. I can now add angels to my hand from my deck at a cost of three hundred life points each. They cannot be normal summoned or set this turn." (DLP: 300)

Two cards slid out of his deck and instead of adding them to his hand he took another card out of his hand and added it to the two he had gained. "Now, I reveal my trap card. Heavenly Array of Light! For every light type monster I discard I can destroy a card on your field."

He flipped the three cards around, revealing them to be monster cards, each one a light type an identical to the others. They were men in monk robes with wide sweeping angel wings. "I discard my three Ascended Men(1200/500) to destroy your three Thunder Lizards."

A wide blast of light shot out of his face-up trap card and the instant the Thunder Lizards were touched by that light they disintegrated, leaving little left but ash. "Now since the cards I discarded were Ascended Men I draw one card for each since they went to the grave. I draw three."

Dalin picked up three cards off his deck and placed one of them onto his duel disk, holding the other two aside. "I summon Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0). Since he is too weak to attack, I'll activate Song of Angels to regenerate fifteen hundred life points." (DLP: 1800)

Taking the last newly drawn card he placed it into his duel disk, replacing the set cards he had previous either used or lost. "End."

Moreth growled and slammed his drawn card down onto the field, picking up Gilford of Thunder seconds later. "I sacrifice Gilford of Thunder to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch(2400/1000) and activate his effect to destroy your Neptune!"

A heavily armored man with lightning rods on his back descended onto the field and fired a blast of lightning from his palm, eradicating Neptune easily. "Next I'll activate my trap card, Thunder Barrage! By removing all thunder monsters from my grave I can deal you three hundred life points damage for each. That's twelve hundred!"

A heavy concentrated stream of lightning roared across the field and hit Dalin in the chest. He braced himself against it and closed his eyes, preventing himself from being moved by the blast. Finally it faded, leaving him intact but his life points not so much. "You're doing quite well Moreth." (DLP: 600)

"Well? I'm completely in control. You're hardly the ultimate duelist I was expecting. Zaborg, attack him directly!" The thunder monarch raised his right hand and sent another blast of lightning flying at Dalin, this time intent on finishing the duel rather than destroying a monster.

A metal shield appeared on Dalin's arm and he intercepted the attack. A glowing blue barrier came out of the shield, and the energy flowed through it into Dalin's duel disk. "My Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me life points equal to your monster's attack." (DLP: 3000)

Moreth took a deep breath and added a card from his hand onto his field, keeping him at an even two set cards. He had no intention of letting the duel slip out of his grasp now. "Take your turn ultimate duelist."

Dalin drew. "Activate magic card Renewal of Triplets. I recall all three Ascended Men to the field." Three monks with angel wings and halos now stood on Dalin's field. The appearance of three monsters at once would have been more impressive had they not been so weak.

"Next I play Sacrifice of Angels, which lets me, tribute angels on my field to draw cards. I'll tribute all three of my Ascended Men to draw three cards. In addition I'll draw three cards because of their effects." Moreth couldn't help but whistle as Dalin drew six cards thanks to his combo, completely restoring his hand.

The angel duelist fanned out all seven of the cards in his hand and selected two of them, one of which he held facing Moreth and the other with its back to him. "I offer Jupiter, Angel of Life(2400/2400) to feed the ritual magic card Justice Unleashed!"

Lady Justice appeared on the field with a ritual pot on each side of the balance scale. However since it was only one monster being offered only one pot was used as Jupiter was sucked in. "Now I unleash Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)!"

Dalin's revealed monster hovered a foot above the ground and was easily as tall as Dalin himself. She sported a flowing white dress, long silvery hair, and a white cloth that covered her eyes. "Sol will be the preparation needed to finish you. First I discard a light type monster to increase her attack and defense by five hundred."

A silver glow formed around her and her attack and defense scores rose to twenty-four hundred each. Then the glow faded, and she was left even to the thunder monarch in terms of attack. "I end by setting a card face down."

Moreth considered the nature of Sol as he drew for his turn. He didn't know anything about a ritual angel, so it must have been a rare monster. He would have to crush it quickly. "Activate field magic card Kingdom of the Thunder Monarch! This raises the attack of every monster with 'thunder' in its name by six hundred and their defense by five hundred!"

The street around them changed form, becoming a glorious and magnificent courtyard. At the end closest to Moreth was a magnificent stone of white marble, on which Zaborg sat. "With his attack raised to three thousand he's strong enough to finish your angel, so now he attacks!"

A larger lightning ball streaked towards Sol, only to be deflected by a wall of pure light. "Light Barrier prevents my monsters from being attack during this turn."

Moreth scowled and looked at his hand, but saw no further plays he could make. He was going to have to end it there. "I can't do anything else. Make your move."

Dalin drew and immediately discarded the drawn card. "I discard Holy Shine Sphere(500/500) to Sol's effect, allowing me to draw three cards off the top of my deck."

He drew three more times, and gripped one of the cards separately, putting it into the duel disk right beneath the zone Sol was in. "The equip card Sword of Heaven increases Sol's attack points by one thousand."

A glowing silver sword formed in front of Sol and she reached out with a dainty hand to take it into her grasp. Instantly her attack points shot up to thirty-four hundred, stronger than even Zaborg. "Since no traps can be activated during the battle phase whilst an angel attacks and Sol is in play I feel safe in making my strike. She attacks!"

"Zaborg may fall, but he won't cost me anything. If Zaborg is destroyed while my field card is in play I take no damage the rest of the turn." The silver sword slashed straight through Zaborg's armor, cutting his head off his shoulders. The rest of the body followed.

"Two cards face down, and end." Ihami leaned back up against the wall, grinning even wider. She had a clear view of Dalin's hand, and she was certain she knew what was coming shortly. All he needed was one more card and he'd create his combo.

Moreth drew and laughed out loud immediately. "Monster Reborn revives Zaborg the Thunder Monarch(3000/1500), and now another effect of Kingdom of the Thunder Monarch activates!"

Zaborg extended both hands, each one crackling with lightning as he built up a large blast of electricity. "When he's summoned I can discard two cards from my hand to nuke all magic and trap cards on your field!"

The electricity shot out of Zaborg's hand and crackled first across one set, then to the other, and finally to the Sword of Heaven, destroying them each in turn. With the Sword of Heaven gone Sol's attack power fell to a weaker twenty-four hundred. "Now that she's weakened, Zaborg will eliminate her!"

Another ball of lightning was launched from the monarch's gauntlets. This one hit Sol directly in the face and blew her away. Her entire body was coated by the lightning before she was vaporized. "That is the perfect revenge of a monarch." (DLP: 2400)

With no remaining cards in his hand, Moreth could do nothing but end his turn. But he wasn't worried, not anymore at least. With his monarch and his field he could smash through anything that his opponent summoned. "You've been very disappointing to me so far ultimate duelist. Even so, I'll be satisfied to defeat you in the name of Lord Eikyuu!"

Dalin drew once and then glanced back at Ihami. She flashed him a sultry smile and he turned back to the duel. "The puzzle has been completed. This turn you fall. First step, I activate Monster Reborn!"

His field shimmered and a new angel appeared on it. The angel was clad in brown robes and had long brown wings extended out behind his back. His face was handsome but stern, and in his right hand he held a large scimitar. "Behold Earth, Angel of Destruction(1650/0)!"

Moreth blinked, staring at the monster in confusion. "There are two things wrong with this situation. First is that your monster is a weakling hardly worthy of the title 'angel of destruction'. The second is that I never saw that monster go to the grave, so how could you revive it?"

"I simply discarded it using Sol's effect the first turn so that I could later use my Monster Reborn and revive him without having to sacrifice a monster for his summon." Moreth was taken aback, not sure what to make out of that kind of forethought.

Dalin then took one of his three other cards and placed it onto his duel disk. A feminine angel with arms crossed over her chest and three orbs floating around her body was the angel that was summoned. "Venus, Angel of Creation(1600/0) joins the fray. And her inclusion spells victory for me. So now, step three."

He fit another card into his duel disk, and Venus spread her wings wide up and out behind her back, then flapped them down repeatedly. "My Angel's Feather Gust requires an angel in play to use, and if I meet the requirement I can destroy all cards in your magic and trap zone."

Moreth scowled as his two face down cards were blown away, but still felt confident since he had his field card and his thunder monarch was much stronger. "One card left, and no chance of that one card allowing either of your monsters to defeat my monarch."

"I don't intend to defeat your monarch, I intend to defeat you. Venus attacks Zaborg!" Venus flapped her wings and flew across the field, only to be met halfway by a lightning ball to the face. She fell backwards and her body burst into millions of pixels. (DLP: 1000)

"What in the world was the point of that foolishness? All you did was waste a monster and let me deal you damage. Are you stupid or something?" Dalin replied by calmly sliding the final card in his hand onto his duel disk. As soon as he did a fierce red aura sprang up around Earth.

"No, in fact I know more about strategy than you do it seems. By sacrificing Venus in a futile head-on assault I fulfilled the requirement for my quick-play magic card, Angelic Revenge. When an angel dies in battle I can increase another angel's attack by the base attack of the monster that did the killing. So now Earth gains twenty-four hundred attack points!" Moreth gulped as Earth's attack points soared to a deadly four thousand and fifty, making him even stronger than the monarch.

"Even if you kill my monarch I'll still survive thanks to the effect of my field card. The duel is far from over ultimate duelist!" Dalin shook his head and as he did so Earth raised his scimitar and poised himself to strike.

"Apparently you forgot what I said. I never intended to defeat your monarch, but rather to defeat you. Earth possesses the unique ability to attack magic and trap cards as if they were monsters. Set cards are considered to be in defense mode with no attack or defense points. Whereas face-up cards are the same…." Moreth's eyes widened as he realized the implication. If set was defense mode for magic and traps, then face-up had to be attack mode.

"You understand I see. Then this is the end for you! Earth, Angel of Destruction…attack Kingdom of the Thunder Monarch(0/0) with Sword of the Destroyer!" Earth swung his scimitar down in a mighty arc. At first nothing appeared to have happened, but slowly the entire courtyard split in half, including the impressive throne upon which Zaborg sat.

Moreth fell to his knees as the field shattered all around him, and the sound of his life points draining away was drowned out by that sound. "I see…I understand now why you're called the ultimate duelist." (MLP: 0)

As the darkness faded away Dalin and Ihami approached him. With a hint of regret Moreth held out a crystalline sphere with sparking blue light trapped inside. "This is the Death-Sealing Spell of Thunder. Use it well…ultimate duelist."

Dalin turned and walked away, Ihami however didn't follow immediately. She stood in front of Moreth and stared down at him from a second. "So, you ever use the spell?"

"Of course not. In fact, Lord Eikyuu never informed any of us what they did." Ihami grinned in response and to Moreth's surprise she pulled back his hood and kissed him full on the lips. She pulled back, still grinning, and replaced the hood.

"Good, it's better if you don't know. Tootles!" She waved briefly and ran to catch up with Dalin, leaving a stunned High Priest kneeling in the middle of an empty street staring after her.

She caught up with Dalin and looked up at his stern and emotionless face. "So, what's your take on Takuya's news about Kai's disappearance? The pseudo-samurai kid always struck me as a goody-goody, so I don't think he'd abandon the mission he was sent on."

Dalin didn't stop walking, nor did he look down at Ihami. "Kai Kaethen is dead."

"I see. Does it bother you that one of your comrades has fallen in the line of duty?" There was silence for several seconds as if Dalin was considering the question. Finally they stopped at a crosswalk and Dalin looked down at her, his jade eyes as cold and dispassionate as ever.

"Don't ask question to which you already know the answer. It's a waste of time." Ihami grinned and shoved her hands in her pockets. Briefly she stuck out her tongue at him before they started to cross the street.

"You're just like I remember Sumatin. But wow, look at this. First Isis and now Kai. I wonder which of your comrades will be the next to die." Dalin's only response was silence.

Ihami smirked and continued walking. "I wonder indeed."

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Author's Notes: I wonder indeed.

_Next Time: The death of Kai Kaethen brings the fatalities amongst the group up to two, and Ihami's certainty that another death will come may spell doom for another of the party. Questions scream out to be answered all at the same time as Nikolas Selket steps forward to confront the next elemental. But his opponent's strategy may very well be the end of the Thief of the Desert. _

_See it all in, Broken Earth!_


	33. Broken Earth

Author's Note: Time for Nikolas Selket to strut his stuff again.

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Broken Earth**

Nikolas Selket could only scowl as he marched through the desert. There was a certain sense of irony in his target being in this desolate wasteland, but that didn't change anything. "I'm the Dark Thief of the Desert, that doesn't mean I love deserts. This is too much irony even for me."

His partner sighed, trying to ignore the intense heat that beat down upon her. Not only that, but she tried to ignore his complaining. She had dealt with annoying people before, and Nikolas was certainly that, even if only because he was extremely irritable. "At least this isn't real…"

Nick glanced back at Ihami and raised his one visible eyebrow. "What did you say?" The immortal girl chuckled and waved the comment off.

_'Forming an illusionary body to accompany him was a good idea in theory, but I can't actually participate in a Darkness Game like this. Maybe Sumatin is putting too much confidence in this man's abilities.'_ Nick's scowl darkened and he continued marching through the desert with the silent woman trialing behind him.

"Whose idea was it to have the setting as Death Valley of all places? I've been in the Sahara before and still this place is drearier. No place on the planet could possible be more like death than this place." Nick stopped suddenly, his trained senses picking something up that he had at first thought to be his imagination.

"An illusion? Come out, whoever you are!" A shimmer about fifteen feet to their left that Nick had at first assumed was a heat apparition faded away, revealing a man over six feet in height wearing a black robe that hid his appearance. At the top was a symbol of infinity.

"You saw through my illusion so then you must be the one that Lord Eikyuu said would be coming. I am Gorman, High Priest of Earth, who guards the Death-Sealing Spell of Earth. It is…pleasant to see you again, Lord Nikolas." He offered Nikolas a half-bow, which Nikolas responded to with a bare nod of the head.

"Gorman, it's been quite a few years. I won't beat around the bush since you already know. Unlock your duel disk and let this Darkness Game begin. And believe me; this won't be as simple as you tend to think because I need to release some tension." An orb of darkness immediately grew around them and the cold feeling traveled through their bodies. This was a level four Darkness Game. (NLP: 4000)

Gorman didn't bother to look around at the darkness. His immediate reply was to flip out a pitch black duel disk and slip a deck into. "Lord Nikolas, I refuse to go easy on you. Duel!" (GLP: 4000)

Both duelists drew their opening hands, and Gorman drew six cards. "I summon Rock Dragon(1900/1500) in attack mode to start with!"

A giant winged beast with craggy flesh of brown and red stone slammed down onto the dusty ground and spread its clay wings out above it. "One card face down. Turn end."

Nick snapped a card off his deck and immediately added it to his hand. Then he grabbed a different card. "I begin by summoning Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow(1000/1000), also in attack mode!"

The little scorpion lifted his mallet in both hands and snickered as he stared at Gorman and the huge dragon the duelist was using. "You knew me as Lord Nikolas, Third Knight of Order, and the Knight of Earth. So you should know, you can't win!"

"We'll see Lord Nikolas. Perhaps you should prove those words before declaring them." Ihami snickered, only stopping when Nikolas shot a glare in her direction.

"You're right, I will wait. Now, Chick is eager for a bit of treasure, but the normal path takes too long. So I'll show him a shortcut by playing Secret Passage to the Treasure!" A corridor of stone bricks formed between Nikolas and Gorman, with Chick standing at Nick's end.

"I choose one monster on my field with one thousand or less attack points and during this turn it gets the ability to attack directly. So now Chick will attack you directly with Mallet of the Scorpion!" Chick raced down the hallway and jumped out the other end, smashing his mallet into Gorman's stomach. The priest fell to his knees and coughed violently, the wind knocked out of him. (GLP: 3000)

"Now, Chick the Yellow's special ability activates since he dealt damage. He'll return a card on the field back to its owner's hand. So Rock Dragon is bounced back!" The stone dragon vanished at the same time the corridor did, leaving his opponent's field empty aside from the apparently useless set card.

Gorman finally recovered his breath and stood back up to his full height. Once he had a clear view of the field he saw that Nick had placed a card on the field. And by the smirk on Nick's face, it meant he was done for the moment. "Draw!"

The priest slapped down a card from his hand and instantly the Rock Dragon materialized again, easily dominating the field. Chick scooted closer to Nick, trying to get as far away from the beast as was possible. "Rock Dragon is obviously a rock type, which means I can now activate my magic card Rock Smash, which destroys a magic or trap on your field if I have a rock monster in play. The target cannot be chained!"

Rock Dragon picked up one beefy foot and brought it back down again. The concussive force of that step shook the ground, and Nick's set card flipped up briefly showing itself as a trap card before it shattered. Nick grimaced at the sight. "Damn…"

"Rock Dragon will attack Chick the Yellow now that your defenses have been breached! Boulder Wing!" The stone dragon flapped its rock wings and a shower of pebbles sprayed out of each one. The pebbles peppered Chick and the little thief withstood them as long as possible before being blown away. (NLP: 3100)

Gorman selected another card and slid it down onto his duel disk. The holographic representation appeared face down next to his original set card. "End."

Nikolas drew swiftly, determined to get this over with as quickly as possible. The brute force he had so far seen of his opponent's deck was a strategy his deck could defeat, but not if he just sat around. _'In terms of brute strength the Dark Scorpions nearly always lose. So to defeat a beat down strategy I'll have to do it quickly.'_

At first his hand seemed to hold absolutely no promise. The three cards that were left in his hand in the previous turn he couldn't use here and now, but with the card he had just drawn he had an excellent option. "You shouldn't have destroyed my set card last turn, because it gets activated from the grave once during each duel by removing itself from the game!"

The trap card slid out of his graveyard and he held it up. It was a picture of the Dark Scorpions descending through an opening in a window that apparently they had created, as a perfect circle of the glass had been cut out. "Feat of Expertise-Break In lets me remove it from the game to special summon a Dark Scorpion from my hand to the field!"

Gorman was unworried. None of the Dark Scorpions could surpass his Rock Dragon in terms of strength. "Don't look so casual, I'm summoning the brute strength of the group. Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong(1800/1500)!"

The muscular thief slung a heavy hammer over his right shoulder and looked impassively across the field. "Next I set two cards face down, matching your number perfectly. And for the next step of my plan I play a magic card known as Bargaining!"

A sleazy looking man in a fancy suit and greased back hair now stood to Nick's right and was glancing back and forth between their magic and trap cards. "This card needs us both to have two magic and trap cards in play. We can each choose to sacrifice one of those cards to destroy one of the opponent's. If we choose that option, we draw two cards. I sacrifice my card on the right to destroy the card on your right!"

The lawyer bent down and bodily picked up the set card, then ran across the field and picked up the targeted card on Gorman's field. Surprisingly he slid them both into his jacket pocket, despite how large they were. Gorman paused at the sight, and then pointed at his remaining set card. "I sacrifice my own face down card to destroy your remaining card."

Again the process was repeated, and once the lawyer was done with his dirty work he handed each duelist a business card and proceeded to fade away. "Now, we draw our two cards!"

At the same time the two duelists drew. "Now, I'll show you where you made some mistakes. First of all the card you destroyed was my Dying to Steal magic card, and since it went to the grave I'll use its effect to discard two cards from your hand."

Gorman frowned beneath his hood and ditched two of the cards in his hand, effectively making his previous draws useless. "Based on your attitude, your other face down was a similar card wasn't it?"

Nick nodded and drew a card from his deck, giving him three in hand. "Right you are. It was the widely used Repayment of Losses, so I got to draw an additional card. And now that I've taken care of your defenses, I'll deal with your rock."

Taking one of the newly acquired cards he fitted it into his duel disk, and watched with satisfaction as Gorg's muscles bulged with new power. "Thieves' Might is a continuous magic card that increases the attack of all Dark Scorpions by three hundred."

Gorg's power rose to twenty-one hundred making it stronger than the dragon, but Nick wasn't done yet. "Next I summon Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000 +300/1800)!"

The female thief smirked and tossed her dark brown hair behind her back, then cracked her whip in the air. "Gorg the Strong will bash your rock to pieces! And once he does damage you'll lose the top card of your deck!"

Gorg's heavy hammer literally shattered the stone dragon into pieces, and Gorman complied in discarding his top card to the grave. "Now I assume you'll attack with Maenae, is that right?" (GLP: 2800)

"That's right! Whip him good Maenae!" She vanished from view and reappeared behind Gorman. She cracked her whip against his backside, making him jump and yelp, both in surprise and in pain. It hurt to take a whip to the ass. (GLP: 1500)

"Using Maenae's ability I'll pick up a card with 'Dark Scorpion' in its name from my grave. My choice is obvious." He took the card his graveyard offered him, showing it as Chick the Yellow before adding it back to his hand.

Since he had used the previous magic and trap cards he held, he now had only one choice for defending. "I set one card face down. Let's see if you can recover priest."

Gorman drew and held up the card. "I activate Scapegoat, generating four goat tokens(0/0) to the field." Four different colored goats with closed eyes appeared in front of him, all of them apparently asleep.

He nodded to Nick, signifying that his turn was at an end. Nick drew, satisfied at his prospects in the duel. "This is all you're capable of? I'd be saddened if I cared. But since I don't I'll just summon Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow(1000 +300/1000) and have my three monsters destroy three goats!"

Together his three Dark Scorpions used their respective weapons to slay one goat each. In the end the only goat the remained was the pink one, and its eyes were now open and alert. After all, its siblings had just been slain. "How pathetic. It doesn't even matter if you take a turn or not, this duel is already nearly over."

Gorman took one glance at his drawn card and his shoulders seemed to lose the tension they previously had. "Prepare yourself Lord Nikolas. I remove Rock Dragon from the grave to special summon Rock Spirit(1900/1100), but he won't be staying long!"

A mighty warrior stood on Gorman's field next to the goat, but swiftly he and the goat vanished. "Since this is a special summon I can even tribute my goat token. Meaning I tribute both of my earth types to special summon my key monster, Demon of the Broken Earth(1800/1500)!"

Despite the weak stats of the monster, its form was fearsome. It stood a dozen feet in height and had a dark brown body. Its head was huge, mostly taken up by a slavering maw and each of its arms was huge and rounded like a sledgehammer. It looked like a living bulldozer. "Let me show you why it is called Demon of the Broken Earth. Activate your effect, Earth Breaker!"

The demon raised its sledgehammer arms high into the air and then brought each one crashing down at high speeds. The impact shattered an area of rocky ground at the far right edge and far left edge of what would be Nick's field. The ground now stuck up like jagged edges there. "What did that do?"

"Demon of the Broken Earth permanently makes two monster zones on the opponent's field unusable the instant it is summoned. Now you can only play three monsters the rest of this duel, and cannot complete your set!" Nick's single eye narrowed and he felt his heart skip a beat.

He looked down at his deck and considered the situation. _'Not good. If I can't complete the set then my Duel Presence is useless, and they work best together anyways. Then again, I don't absolutely have to have all five to win a duel.'_

"I won't be beaten just because I can't fight together with all five Dark Scorpions! Try me all you want and it won't change a thing!" Gorman didn't respond, instead he slapped two more cards into play.

"I activate the equip card Gravity Hammer-Grarl, and then since he's the only card in my hand I special summon Guardian Grarl(2500/1200)! And when equipped with his substitute weapon he gains five hundred attack points!" The monster was a dinosaur in all but body-shape, instead of being crouched over it was humanoid and wore clothing. In its hands was a heavy silver hammer.

Nick pointed to his set card, knowing exactly what was coming. "I wouldn't try it, because I use Honor Among Thieves! During this turn I can prevent the death of a Dark Scorpion once for every Dark Scorpion in play minus one. And I take no life point damage from battle with them this turn either!"

Gorman scowled, knowing that he couldn't do anything yet. With only two monsters he couldn't destroy any of the Dark Scorpions this turn, and he couldn't do any damage either. "End turn."

"Pity for you, because during the end of the turn that Honor Among Thieves is used I draw one card for each Dark Scorpion left in play. So I draw three cards, plus one for the start of my turn." In all of three seconds he had managed to boost his hand up to five cards.

Nick looked over his new cards and couldn't help but frown. He had drawn several monsters all in one go, so his hand was nearly useless. "I switch my three scorpions to defense mode and set one card down. End!"

Gorman played his drawn card immediately, not giving Nick any chance to react. "Titan of Stone(2000/0) in attack mode!" His monster was made of dark orange stone and looked like a living statue holding a stone shield in its left hand and a stone sword in its right hand.

Nick snapped his fingers and his face down card flipped up. "Activate trap card, Dark Scorpion Poison! Though I can't beat your monsters right now, I can stop your from attacking and deal you damage! In this case it's three hundred damage!"

The priest shuddered as the false poison leaked into his body. Not only did it drain him of his life points but it kept him from declaring an attack. "Very well, the inevitable is delayed slightly longer." (GLP: 1200)

The former Knight of Earth drew, and scowled as he saw yet another monster. Even though he had a distinctive lead in the way of life points he didn't feel very confident at the moment. "I pass."

The area around them shimmered, and the desert faded away as Gorman placed a card into his field slot. Plants sprang up everywhere and trees bloomed in seconds that would have taken hundreds of years under normal circumstances. "This is Gaia Power, a field that boosts earth types by five hundred attack points while draining their defense of four hundred points."

Each of his respective monsters shot upwards in attack strength, giving them twenty-three hundred, twenty-five hundred, and thirty-five hundred respectively for the demon, the titan, and Grarl. "All out assault!"

Grarl's hammer cracked Gorg's skull in, finishing him off easily. The Titan's sword cleaved Chick the Yellow in half, and Maenae was obliterated by the crushing power of Demon of the Broken Earth. "The effect of Gravity Hammer triggers, destroying the monster zone of the monster that was just slain!"

Grarl slammed his hammer down again, breaking apart the ground that Gorg had seconds before been standing upon. Then the monsters retreated back to Gorman's side of the field. "I'm not out of monster zones yet!"

"Maybe not, but you're close! I activate Demon of the Broken Earth's next effect, which lets him sacrifice two earth type monsters to destroy another monster zone. In other words I offer Grarl and Titan to blast another monster zone!" Like a pile driver the demon's arm slammed into the ground, crushing it just like it had with the previous two zones.

"Ha, and now all you have left is one monster zone. And might I add that Demon of the Broken Earth makes any destroyed monster zone permanent for as long as it isn't removed from play. With one monster zone you can't possibly survive!" Nick kept his face devoid of emotion as he drew, but he couldn't help but think that Gorman was right. Using only one Dark Scorpion how could he win this duel?

As soon as he had drawn Nick placed a card down onto his duel disk. A brown-backed card formed horizontally in front of him above the only remaining monster zone. "One monster in defense mode. That's all."

"Yes, that is all. Demon of the Broken Earth attacks!" Its hammer hand squashed the defensive monster, leaving nothing left over. But suddenly the pieces of the monster card reformed into a large pitch-black scorpion.

"You destroyed Dark Scorpion(200/300) and when it dies in battle I can special summon a Dark Scorpion to the field. I special summon from my hand Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000) in defense mode." The blonde haired thief took his place on to the field in a crouched position and the scorpion shrank, crawled up his arm, and then imprinted itself as the tattoo.

"How nice, you've prevented me from finishing you off completely. I play Sacrificial Lambs, creating two lamb tokens (0/0) much like my Scapegoat card. Only these monsters can be used to tribute summon. And with that I end my turn." A tiny blue and a tiny red goat were now hovering on his feed, sleeping like the goat tokens had been.

Nick felt a rush of determination as he saw his path to changing the tide of the duel right in front of him. As soon as he had the chance he drew and slammed one of his cards down onto the field. "I tribute Cliff the Trap Remover in order to summon Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures(1900/1500)!"

The older version of Don Zaloog appeared and upholstered his pistol and aimed it at the demon. "Normally Hunter of Treasures would let me special summon Dark Scorpions from the grave, but since he can't instead he gains a bonus of three hundred attack points."

His attack points counted up until they reached twenty-two hundred, but Gorman just scoffed. "Still he's not strong enough to even match Demon of the Broken Earth, let alone defeat him."

"Really? Apparently you've forgotten my continuous magic card Thieves' Might, which boosts him by three hundred more attack points. And with twenty-five hundred attack points he's more than strong enough. Guns of the King!" Gorman grimaced as Don unloaded his revolver into the demon's forehead. Despite its impressive stature it went down like a ton of bricks. (GLP: 1000)

"You see Gorman? Victory isn't impossible, even in such a negative situation. End turn!" He didn't relax, despite his words of confidence. He had a distinctive life point lead, but should he lose Hunter of Treasures the duel could go south for him very quickly.

Gorman drew and after ascertaining what it was he lifted it up and the ground around him began to rumble. "I activate Gaia Renewal, which revives an earth type monster from the grave with an additional bonus of five hundred attack points. My choice is Demon of the Broken Earth(1800 +1000/1500 -400)!"

The demonic bulldozer reformed and raised one sledgehammer arm poised above Don. "Demon of the Broken Earth will crush Don Zaloog!"

Its heavy arm smashed Don deep into the earth, leaving no trace of him for anyone to find. Nick grimaced as he realized that the chances of him making it had fallen just like he feared them to. And there were also those tokens. "Damn…not good…" (NLP: 2700)

"Worse than you think. Though I'm confident in my strategy I'm not stupid. Gaia Power increases all earth types by five hundred attack, including my stray lambs. So now both of my lamb tokens will attack you directly!" The sight of two fuzzy round goats charging at him and head butting his chest would have been more amusing if it hadn't drained his life points. (NLP: 1700)

"Now, in my second main phase I offer both of my stray lambs to Demon of the Broken Earth's effect. Say farewell to your final monster zone and your chances of winning this duel!" The demon raised its arm high into the air and then dropped it down, blowing apart the final zone just like it had with three of the four others.

Nick couldn't help it when he fell to his knees. He stared at the field, particularly his broken zones, and understood completely that he had failed. _'I…I can't win like this. Without my Dark Scorpions, without the ability to use monsters…I can't beat this kind of strategy!'_

Gorman had no more cards to play so he placed his hands inside his sleeves and waited for Nick to come to his senses. "You see now that the duel is ended. And in my victory I will punish you for ever leaving Lord Eikyuu's side by stripping you of your precious memory. Of everything that makes you Nikolas Selket."

_'Memories…strip me of my memories. But in the end, that's all I have isn't it? My memories that keep me going, keep me striving towards my goal of…revenge!'_ He reached up with his left hand and felt the cloth that covered his ruined eye and understood what would really happen should he lose here.

He rose to his feet and drew, his remaining eye burning with fury. "I can't lose to someone like you, because if I did then I could never get my revenge! My memories and my vengeance are all that sustain me so I won't let them be taken away!"

Despite his strong words he had very little to back it up. Scowling he slid his drawn card into his duel disk. "One card face down and end turn."

The high priest drew and smirked at what he had drawn. "Ah, perfect for the situation. Since it is the only card in my hand I can play Hand Obliteration, sending your entire hand to the cemetery."

It wasn't honestly that great a loss, since they were all monsters and currently of no help, so he wasn't worried about discarding them. What he was worried about was the mystery of how he could win the duel. "Demon of the Broken Earth attacks!"

"I'll chain your attack with Thief's Booby Trap, which negates your attack! Then it lets me pick up a Dark Scorpion card from the cemetery and add it to my hand." The demon's attack stopped before it moved much farther than raising its arm above its head. Then Nick picked up a card from his cemetery.

"I feel perfectly safe in ending my turn. After all, what can you do in your current situation?" As he drew for his turn Nick couldn't help but admit to himself that he had no real answer to that question. Although he could defend for at least one more turn, victory seemed out of reach at the moment.

"I'll defend myself with one card. That's all I can manage." His brain was being rummaged through for options, but he couldn't seem to remember any way in his deck to save him and win the duel. His deck simply wasn't designed to counteract this situation.

Nick was drawn out of his distraction by the appearance of another monster on Gorman's field, this one a steel version of Titan of Stone. "Iron Golem(1700 +500/1200 -400) isn't entirely necessary, but I find it best not to take risks. And now he attacks!"

"No he doesn't, because I use my recovered card, Dark Scorpion Poison. Although I have no Dark Scorpions in play I can still prevent your attacks, even if I can't deal damage." The golem lowered its sword before it had even managed to leave its spot, and the demon hadn't even managed to lift an arm in action.

Gorman shrugged and placed his arms back in the sleeves of his robe. "My turn is ended former Lord Selket. Soon you will be nothing but a memory in the minds of others. And good riddance I say."

"A memory…you call me a memory? I will not be left as nothing but a memory in the minds of others! I will have my revenge and not a single man or woman on this green Earth can stop me! So let me show you the power of my desire for revenge, as it's now my turn!" He drew and Gorman was suddenly being pushed backwards by heavy force issuing out of Nikolas' body.

_'I had forgotten how powerful the three Knights of Order were! It's incredible!'_ Nick's arm snapped all the way out to the side and then he brought it in closer so he could see the drawn card. He stared at it for a moment and then raised his one eye to stare out at the priest.

"Priest, I'll end this in the last way that I know how, by letting it all rest on a gamble! Activate magic card, Thief's Secret Code! First I take one card from my hand, and I've only got one so there's no question about it." He held the remaining card up in his right hand, away from his duel disk.

"Now, you have to guess exactly what type of card I'm holding, whether it is magic, trap, or monster. If you guess right then next turn you get to attack me directly even if I had a monster in play, so no change there for me." Gorman nodded, keeping up with the effect so far.

"On the other hand if you fail to guess right you take a penalty of a thousand points of damage! So now it all comes down to this one guess, so make it a good one Priest or this game is mine!" Gorman frowned and began considering carefully.

He was now in an unlucky situation himself. He had a one-third chance of guessing right and winning the duel, but a two-thirds chance of guessing wrong and losing the duel. Yet still the risk was great enough to Nikolas that it seemed strange to make the risk. "Ah…I see…the answer is obvious."

Nick raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Elaborate then and make your guess."

"Yes, that's right. The answer is obvious because you wouldn't take such a risk if you knew you couldn't benefit either way. In other words you'd only do so if the card in your hand could protect you if your gamble failed!" Nikolas frowned upon hearing the deduction and shot a worried glance at the card in his hand.

"So…what are you saying my card is then?"

"I'm saying the answer is as obvious as a dot on the wall! The only card you'd risk using that gamble with is a trap card! So that is the answer!" Nick closed his eyes and Gorman smirked as he saw the despair in his opponent.

Slowly Nick opened his eye and suddenly his frown reversed and became a cocky smirk. Gorman's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. "Wrong answer! I always trust my Dark Scorpions and they didn't fail me now either, because the card in my hand was none other than Don Zaloog(1400/1000)!"

The purple haired thief took shape, revolver pointed at Gorman's forehead. The priest dropped his arms to his side, knowing what was about to happen. "Impossible!"

Nikolas smirked, unable to stop the words that he had heard from his only real opponent coming to the surface. "Nothing is impossible when I'm involved! Now, this duel is over! Guns of the King!"

The bullet caught Gorman right between the eyes and he keeled over. As soon as his back hit the ground the thief leader and the field card faded away, leaving them back in an empty desert. Ihami approached Nikolas and flashed him a grin. "Impressive work, I must admit." (GLP: 0)

The thief of the desert bent down and snatched an orb from within the priest's cloak. It was crystal clear except for the center which held a dark brown sphere. "Yes, impressive. Let's go."

Together they started the walk back to the private jet that had flown them here to begin with. As they walked Nikolas couldn't help but bring up a question that had been on his mind the whole time. "I've been wondering, besides the universe not ending, why are you doing this? Helping I mean. You could do this without aiding Sumatin, so what is it that you really want?"

Ihami put a hand to her mouth and tittered. "Why how clever of you Nikolas! You're right, I did know all about this to begin with, and I could just as easily do all that needs to be done faster than you guys since I can teleport around the world at a whim. So yes, what do I want is the perfect choice of question."

Nick stared at her expectantly. "Well?"

She smirked but didn't lower her hand from her mouth. "I've got a rebuttal question before I bring up an answer. What is it that you really want?"

The thief snorted and rolled his eye, brushing the comment off with a single wave of a hand. "What kind of question is that? The answer is obvious that I want revenge on Sumatin for taking my family from me and taking my happiness."

Ihami snickered and turned away, looking back over her shoulder as she walked. "And then what?"

The question caught Nick so off guard that he couldn't move or speak in reaction for several seconds. When finally he could take action again, his answer was unsteady. "I…I don't know."

"Poor boy. Until you know what you want, you have no reason to be asking anyone else what they want. So, ask me again once you've really figured out the answer to that all consuming question." She kept walking and Nikolas could only stare at her retreating back, his mind in turmoil. Eventually he followed her, but he was mute for the rest of their trip back.

It wasn't until their jet was actually in the air that he realized she had never actually answered his question.

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Author's Notes: Good question.

_Next Time: Although the first four Death-Sealing Spells have been gained the journey isn't over yet. So far the battles for the seals have been growing more difficult progressively, and now only two remain. Standing tall Ihami moves into action against the next and seemingly strongest priest. But if her motives are unknown, should she even be allowed to win?_

_See it all in, Ignite the Fires of Lust Within!_


	34. Ignite the Fires of Lust Within

Author's Note: Now let's all get jiggy with Ihami! Oh wait…that sounds dirty.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Ignite the Fires of Lust Within**

Ihami couldn't possibly have been more bored than she already was. They had gotten off the jet earlier that morning in the Berlin International Airport. They had been wandering the city for the past seven hours with no sign of a priest popping up to challenge them. And of course her company was hardly exciting conversation.

The whole situation honestly bothered her. She understood why they were getting the Death-Sealing Spells, so that wasn't it. It was the fact that she was being forced to duel one of these priest idiots and was having to waste a lot of otherwise useful time waiting for the jerk. _'And so the wait continues…'_

"You've actually come it seems. I've been looking forward to this actually." Ihami and Dalin turned and found a man wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt with German writing on it and a dark green set of cargo pants, cut off just below the knees.

Ihami looked him up and down; noting his muscular physique as he proudly displayed his bare arms and his legs. He wasn't as frighteningly large a person as Dalin, but he was still imposing. She made a quick note of the black armband on his left bicep where an infinity symbol could be seen. "Honestly I was expecting a mystery figure in a robe. Not a hunk like you."

The big man blinked, looking rather taken aback by her sudden compliment. His surprise quickly shifted into a scowl as he came to a realization. "I appreciate the compliment; however you're much too young. And unlike many of the other priests, I live a normal life when not serving my lord. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Finn Huber, also called High Priest of Flame."

Finn inclined his head to them and then after a pause he added a small bow to it. "I must apologize if I come across as rude, but I generally don't interact with Japanese people. I'm not entirely familiar with customs amongst your people."

Ihami giggled, again catching the priest off guard. She returned his bow, in doing so giving him a nice view down the front of her shirt. "No need to worry, despite my lack of current skin tone, a fact I miss, I'm actually Egyptian, not Japanese. My name is Ihami."

Two sets of eyes turned towards Dalin who was standing a few feet to Ihami's left with his bare arms folded over his chest. He met their gazes for several seconds in silence before responding. "I am Dalin Imaki Sumatin. I am not Japanese either."

Finn bit his bottom lip and came up out of his bow, and Ihami couldn't help but think that he was bothered by Dalin's curt manner. "Yes, well I was informed you would be here, but work detained me from coming to intercept you immediately after your arrival. If you'd come with me I'll take us to a place where we have room for our duel Mr. Sumatin."

When they started walking towards him Finn knew he was safe to proceed so he turned about and began to walk down the sidewalk with them following. Ihami walked up right next to him and smiled up at him. "Actually, your opponent is going to be me."

Once again her words surprised him, causing him to stare at her in confusion for a moment or two before he managed to think of a reply. "I see…I usually never duel people younger than myself. I'm afraid I can't go easy on you either. I apologize ahead of time."

The immortal girl giggled and walked up ahead of them, then turned so she was walking backwards and staring straight at Finn. "Don't worry; I'm older than I look. Oh, and I won't go easy on you either, so I guess I have to apologize as well."

With that she winked and then went back to facing in the right direction so she wouldn't bump into anyone. Finn watched her back for a moment before craning his neck back to speak to Dalin. "How old is she then?"

"Three and a half thousand years old." Finn met Dalin's gaze and held it for nearly a minute before jerking his head away and sighing.

"Why can't I get a simple answer out of these people? How awkward."

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Ihami took a look around their current setting, which was apparently nothing but Finn's backyard. It had a nice small garden in the far corner of the gated area and a tree at the other end. "Very pretty. But you know, since this will be a Darkness Game it could have been anywhere."

Finn nodded despite having his attention focused on strapping a simple second model duel disk to his left arm. He pressed a button on the side and it tightened on his wrist, locking it securely in place. "Perhaps, but I feel more comfortable out of sight and where none can get injured aside from ourselves."

Both duelists approached each other, exchanged decks and started shuffling their cards. "How sweet of you, caring about the innocent. That priest of thunder was a real jerk, while you seem to be a nice guy."

They returned their decks back to each other and returned to their positions at opposite ends of the garden. Ihami raised her left arm and a crystal duel disk shimmered into place on her wrist. She slid her deck into it, ignoring Finn's surprise. "Okay sweetie, let's get this started. And remember, you promised not to hold back." (ILP: 4000)

He put his deck into his deck holster and flicked his duel disk open. At the same time they started drawing one card at a time. "I must warn you, amongst the five High Priests I am the strongest duelist by far." (FLP: 4000)

She smiled and flipped her hand of cards open so that she had a clear view of each one. She gave them a once over and then looked back up at Finn. "Sure sweetie, I'm okay with that. I'm no slouch at dueling either. So, feel free to start us off and show just how strong you are."

After a pause he drew and a wave of darkness spread out around them, forming into the traditional dome of a Darkness Game. The duel was at last going to begin. "I set one monster and two cards face down. End."

She yawned and splayed out her hand to get a good look at the cards. "Ah, how perfect. I begin by placing one card face down. And now I activate Loki's Betrayal!"

Ihami chuckled and tapped the tip of her nose, contemplating something. Finally she spoke. "Loki's Betrayal lets me name one card and if it exists in your deck you have to activate it. I choose Cyclone."

Finn felt more confused than before but still searched through his deck for the named card and held it out. Immediately a blast of wind tore apart Ihami's set card. "What was the point of that?"

"Simple, you just destroyed Calling Magic and when it goes from the field to the grave I get to choose two magic cards from my deck and set them on the field. And then I'll activate them!" The first one lifted up and a cute young woman in white holding a staff appeared, her blue hair done in two long ponytails.

"Meet my continuous magic card, Goddess Skuld's Oracle, the card that represents the future! And next, the second of them!" Another woman, this one appearing much sterner than Skuld appeared. Her hair was long and pink as opposed to the blue of the first goddess.

"This one is Goddess Beldandy's Guardian! Of course Beldandy and Skuld don't want to remain alone, so I'll play this magic card from my hand!" Now a shorter woman with short blonde hair took shape. She was the sternest looking of the group.

"Meet the last of the trio, Goddess Urd's Altar. And now that Urd, Beldandy, and Skuld are together my next turn will certainly be interesting. Until then I'll just a monster in defense and end my turn." A reversed card appeared in front of the three goddesses and floated there, waiting for anyone to dare and attack it.

Finn drew and then pointed at his set monster. Immediately it took shape in the form of a man with bright red hair and a combination of silver and red armor. "Meet Soldier of the Flame Lord(1200/1400)! When flipped he lets me special summon copies of him from my deck!"

In seconds there were three soldiers where there had originally been one. "Now, since your continuous magic cards probably can't stop my attack I'll just steamroll over your defense monster. Terrible Magma Creature(1300/1000) is summoned!"

Finn's newest monster was a ten foot tall beast with flesh of lava, its long claws extending from its fingertips. It was hunched over and its mouth was a snarling mass of magma teeth. "Activate Terrible Magma Creature's effect. At a cost of destroying it during the end phase I can increase its attack points by its base attack."

It pumped up, its body growing in height to nearly twenty feet, its claws lengthening and becoming more threatening. "With its power boosted no defense monster can stop it, so he'll suicide attack your set monster!"

Ihami frowned as the claws of the magma monster tore through her defense monster. She picked it up and slid it into the grave. "Pity, I thought Valkyrie Randrigor(500/2500) would stop any attack, but it appears to not be the case."

The three soldiers raised their swords, waiting for the command. "Soldiers of the Flame Lord, triple direct attack! Sabers of Flame!"

Three swords landed just short of Ihami's skin, as a blue wall of light formed between them. Finn's eyes widened in shock as all three of his soldiers slid over to Ihami's side of the field with their eyes shining with what he could only identify with lust. "What…what have you done to my soldiers?" (ILP: 400)

She smiled prettily and batted her eyes. The monsters went all googly eyed at the sight. "Little ol' me? Well nothing but use my specialty. The power of lust, the power of my Duel Presence. A little something I call Lust Hypnosis."

"Lust…Hypnosis?" Ihami smiled and patted each soldier on the shoulder, offering them a sultry smile as she did so. One by one they offered her a deep bow, submitting to her will.

"Any time I receive damage from a monster that is capable of feeling lust for me, they do, and regret it immediately. In response they are overcome by the power of lust and join my side, coming under my control. Pretty cool isn't it?" Finn's confusion shifted into frustration, realizing that he was up against a more powerful opponent than he had thought.

"It seems I underestimated you by a large degree. So for the moment I'll end my turn." Ihami smirked and drew, and then Skuld raised her staff. The staff started glowing and so did the top of Finn's deck.

"Since it's my standby phase the Goddess Skuld's Oracle, representative of the future, shows me the top three cards of your deck. I can then rearrange them in any order I wish." Three cards floated off of Finn's deck and into Ihami's hand. She swapped their order and then let them float back to Finn's deck.

"Next the representative of the present, Goddess Beldandy's Guardian, lets me name the type of card that is on top of your deck. If I guess right it's set on your field. I name monster, so go ahead and set it." Finn drew his top card and scowled at what he saw. It was a good monster, and he had a bad feeling about how she was going to use it. But still he set it without a choice in the matter.

"Last but not least the representative of the past, Goddess Urd's Altar, lets me guess the name of a card set on your field. If I guess right it gets removed from the game. I name Bounty Huntress of the Inferno, and of course I'm right. So remove it." Finn sighed and picked the card up off his duel disk and placed it into his pocket.

At long last Ihami looked at the card she had drawn. She smiled and held it up, showing a knight in full armor with long blonde hair flowing down his back. "Nobleman of Extermination lets me target a set card on your field to remove and destroy. If it's a trap any copies in your deck are removed from the game. So say goodbye to your card on the right!"

Finn's rightmost set card shook and then blew apart. His duel disk ejected it from the slot it had been placed in. Finally Finn added it to his pocket. "It was a trap, specifically my Fire Backlash. However there are no copies of it in my deck."

Ihami smiled, satisfied at her success and picked up one of the soldiers and tossed it to Finn. "I sacrifice one of your soldiers to summon Jotun Hymir(2300/2000). When this monster is summoned I gain life points equal to the number of magic cards on my field and in my grave times 300. Obviously that's six." (ILP: 2200)

Her monster was sixteen feet tall, hairy, and ugly. The very image of what people imagined as giants. "Now, Jotun Hymir attacks your life points directly!"

"Inferno Barrier is my face down quick-play. It negates any attack on my life points this turn by a non water monster. So I'm safe." Hymir's club lowered to his side mere seconds after it had risen. He couldn't attack now that a spinning vortex of flame was surrounding Finn and protecting him.

Ihami still didn't seem upset though and quickly tossed the sacrificed Soldier over to Finn, who placed it into his cemetery. "Whenever a monster controlled by my Lust Hypnosis goes to the grave I gain half its attack or defense points as life. I choose its defense." (ILP: 2900)

The immortal fiddled with the last card in her hand, but finally sighed and with a wave of her hand passed the turn to Finn. The priest of flame drew, worried about the arrangement of cards that Ihami had made. "My turn!"

Finn immediately played his drawn card. "Go magic card, Cube of Summoning! To start with I choose an element. My choice is fire. Now I roll a die!"

A red die bounced across the ground, spinning about until it came to rest showing four dots face-up. "Finally the cube itself will begin its countdown. In three turns I get to summon level four or less fire monsters from my deck equal to the number I rolled minus one."

A giant rubix cube took a position above and slightly behind Finn and began to solve itself, the sides shifting constantly. "Next I set one monster and one card face down. End."

Ihami snatched a card off her deck and placed it with her other card. "Let's see what you've got."

She glanced at the next three cards, rearranged them, and then replaced them in her own chosen order. "I name monster, so set it down."

When the monster appeared on Finn's field face down Ihami was already on it. "Remove Firestarter from the game!"

Once Finn had placed the removed monster into his back pocket Ihami raised her right hand and pointed at Finn's face down monster. "Hymir attacks the set monster!"

Her giant raised his club and smashed it down on her monster. It shattered and then a fireball flew out of it and struck one of the two Soldiers, blowing it apart as well. "You destroyed Pyromaniac LV3(900/1300) who when flipped lets me destroy a monster on the field."

"Ah, but remember, since one of the monsters under control of my Lust Hypnosis went to the grave I now gain even more life points." She smirked as her life points trickled upwards, nearly bringing her back to her starting point. (ILP: 3600)

Finn extended his right hand over the field and a burst of flame introduced something entirely new. Dressed in a silver jacket with a black shirt underneath as well as black pants was a smirking red haired youth with a lighter with a skull on it in one hand. "Since it destroyed a monster I now get to special summon Pyromaniac LV4(1400/1400) into play."

Ihami frowned for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "How completely perfect! Soldier of the Flame Lord, attack that Pyromaniac!"

Soldier ran straight up and slashed its sword at the Pyromaniac, but instead the teen opened his light and gathered a fireball from it. Pyromaniac then engulfed the charging soldier with the ball of flame. "And of course, since I took damage from your monster, Lust Hypnosis gives me control of it!" (ILP: 4100)

The immortal girl grinned as the card was transferred over to her duel disk. She examined its effect and seemed even happier. "Perfect! Since he gains seven hundred attack points during the battle phase I'll have Pyromaniac LV4 attack you directly! Blazing Fireball!"

Finn groaned and dropped to one knee as soon as the fireball hit him in the chest. He rose to his feet unsteadily, his body smoking from the impact. "Very impressive…" (FLP: 1900)

"Why thank you. Now, I think I'll end my turn right there." Her smile was wiped off of her face when her entire field was engulfed in a massive fireball. It blew her several feet backwards, and when the smoke cleared her monsters were gone.

Finn smirked as a card was spat out of his deck, which he caught. "You obviously forgot about my set card. It was the trap card Volcanic Eruption, which destroys all monsters on the field and lets me add Molten Destruction to my hand. Also it deals six hundred damage to a player for every monster they lost." (ILP: 3600)

The priest drew and smirked at whatever he saw. "Unlucky you, you arranged this without realizing what I had set on the field. So now I get to play my Level Upgrade! By removing a level monster in my grave I can special summon a level monster of two levels higher. So meet Pyromaniac LV6(2100/1800)!"

His newest monster was a taller and older version of the previous Pyromaniac, and instead of a lighter he had a flame thrower strapped to his right arm. "This monster gains one hundred attack points for every fire monster on my field and in my grave, so he gains five hundred attack points!"

Pyromaniac shot flames into the air as he attack points rose to twenty-six hundred. Finn lifted his arm and flipped open the side slot of his duel disk and laid a card into it. "Activate field magic card, Molten Destruction! All fire types gain five hundred attack points and lose four hundred."

The fire grew even larger as once again Pyromaniac gained attack points, this time rising up to thirty-one hundred. "Now, I activate the card that you failed to see that remained in my hand. Treasure of Slashing Life!"

According to his card's effect he drew five times, obviously not worried about the side effect that would force him to discard his hand in five turns. "Hmm….pity. Either way, this will do just fine. Supreme Fireball Level Six!"

Ihami threw up an arm to defend herself against the massive ball of fire that exploded from the tip of Pyromaniac's flamethrower. Her defenses were good, but her life points still took a massive hit. "Heh…impressive but…did you forget about Lust Hypnosis?" (ILP: 500)

Pyromaniac LV6 floated over to Ihami's side of the field, looking just as obsessed with her as the other monsters had. "No, I didn't. However, I know what I'm doing. First, I play Fire Sweep! This clears the field of all magic and trap cards!"

The immortal sighed as a wave of fire swept over the three goddesses and vaporized them. Her combination had been finished, meaning she couldn't arrange his cards to her whim anymore. "Pity, I like that combo."

"Whether or not you like it doesn't matter to me. I'll play two cards face down and bring my turn to a close. Then I'll show you just how tough I really am." Ihami raised an eyebrow, obviously curious about how he was going to pull that off.

She gave her newest card a cursory glance, and then snapped her fingers. "Supreme Fireball Level Six!"

Finn smirked and pointed to one of his set cards. "That's exactly what I was waiting for, for you to waste your battle phase! Open face down card, Remove Brainwashing!"

Ihami frowned, disappointed to see the lustful look fade from her newly acquired monster's eyes. It stopped its attack and turned around, facing her again. "Got your monster back huh? Lucky draw."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. But regardless, the advantage belongs to me now." Ihami nodded, able to accept that she had lost her advantage and now had a completely blank field.

She glanced at the three cards in her hand again, and then casually slipped one of them into her crystal duel disk. "I set this card face down. And then of course I'll set a monster in defense mode. End."

Finn drew and suddenly a loud click could be heard. Ihami's gaze was drawn upwards, and she saw that the giant rubix cube had solved itself, showing red as its primary color. "Time's up I see."

"That's right, and now I special summon three of these monsters. Meet the mighty Balrog(1000/1000)!" His three monsters were red skinned demons with fiery wings extending out of their backs. As well they each held a sword of flame.

"For every fire monster in play, including themselves, the Balrog gain five hundred attack points. So with the combined power of that and Molten Destruction I have an army of three monsters with thirty-five hundred attack points!" Ihami frowned as the burning swords began to burn even brighter as their attack points more than tripled in seconds.

"Also, since I have more fire monsters in play my Pyromaniac gains three hundred more attack points, so he nearly evens out with them at thirty-four hundred attack! Quite an impressive force I have, isn't it?" Ihami said nothing, for the first time in the duel looking concerned about her chances. Dalin was also just as silent, though that was a constant for him.

Finn smirked and held up one of the cards in his hand. "It's time to increase that army, so I play Flames of Life and Pain! This destroys all magic and trap cards on each player's field and gives them a thousand life points for each they lost!"

Twin pillars of fire exploded from underneath their individual magic and trap cards, annihilating any chance Ihami had of defending herself. But she remained fairly quiet. "You destroyed Apple of Freya, so I draw one card." (ILP: 1500, FLP: 2900)

The priest held up his destroyed card, seemingly happy about something. "Since I destroyed my set Fire Twister I get to activate the effect of a monster in my hand. When a card with 'volcano', 'volcanic', or 'fire' in its name is sent from the field to the grave I can special summon it. Meet Demon Shackled in the Volcano(2400/1500)!"

A huge red skinned beast with serrated claws and huge horns coming out of his head burst free from the ground and let out a terrible roar that shook the entire area they were dueling in. Its attack points shot upwards thanks to Molten Volcano. "Not only that, but Demon Shackled in the Volcano has a trample ability, making him perfect for this situation."

Finn took a deep breath, preparing himself for the upcoming assault. He saw no reason why the attack shouldn't succeed, but he was pulling out all the stops to make sure that it did. "This is the end Ihami! Demon Shackled in the Volcano, annihilate her defense monster!"

The demon raised one clawed hand and then stabbed its sharp claws into the set card. It shimmered for a second and then a mighty howl split the air. Finn's eyes went wide as a twenty foot long wolf exploded up from the card, its huge jaws opening wide to swallow the demon whole. "What…what in the hell was that?"

Ihami smirked, finally showing emotion again. "You made a poor choice in deck when facing off against this monster. Meet the might Skoll, Eater of the Sun(2000/2000)! When this monster is flip summoned I negate any battle damage and destroy all fire and light types on the field. So say goodbye to your precious army!"

One by one the wolf made the mighty monsters into a light snack, finally letting out a tremendous burp when it had finished consuming them. "No….my army!"

"Oh don't fret, that's hardly the worst of it. When he successfully destroys at least two monsters, whether through battle or his effect, I get to special summon his brother. Meet the second of the mighty wolf brothers, Hati, Eater of the Moon(2000/2000)!"

Another giant wolf pounded onto the field. As soon as they saw each other the brother wolves tilted their heads back and howled, filling the endless darkness with the sound. Finn shivered, unable to shake a sudden fear from crawling up his spine. "What…what is this madness?"

"This is the madness of the power of the Norse. Although I myself am a worshipper of Set, in my many years of life I've come to appreciate and have a close connection with Norse mythology. So my deck represents that, unleashing the full strength of Norse myth. Are you afraid of the big bad wolf Finn?" Finn growled, but was soon drowned out by the responsive growling of the two wolves.

Without another word he slid one card from his hand onto his duel disk, which appeared face down in front of him. He let out a deep breath and nodded to her. "I end my turn."

Ihami drew and suddenly Finn felt a massive flow of power coming from her and her duel disk. "What…what in the world is that power?"

"Power? Oh that's easy; it's the power of destruction, the power of these two wolves father! By discarding a magic card from my hand while both are in play I can special summon their mighty father!" She deposited one of the cards she was holding into the grave and immediately a terrifying howl split the darkness.

Finn stumbled backwards, his heart beating intensely as first one paw descended from above, then another, and another, and finally the last. Slowly the monstrous creature lowered itself, showing itself to be at least a hundred feet in length, its jaws so massive that Finn was certain a single fang was as large as he was. "Such a monster!"

"You're right; he is a terrible monster isn't he? In fact, his power is so tremendous that even the gods themselves trembled before him. Let me show you his might, the power of the Fenrir, Destroyer of the Gods(4000/4000)!" Fenrir howled, the sound knocking Finn off his feet. Terrified the priest began to back away on his butt.

"Scared of my little wolf pal here? Well you should be, because this monster is going to eat you alive! And to be fair, he's not the only terrifying monster that lurks in my deck. Not the only god! Fenrir, devour him!" Fenrir lunged, its huge jaws open enough to sweep up Finn.

"No! I'll not be eaten by that beast! Activate trap card, Pyre Eruption! This trap destroys any attacking monster and deals five hundred damage to its controller's life points!" Flames surrounded Fenrir, but the two sons titled their heads back and howled. To Finn's horror the howling put out the flames.

Ihami snickered as Fenrir's mouth completely encompassed Finn's body, not yet closing. "Poor fool. As long as his sons are on the field Fenrir is completely immune to magic and trap cards, as each one protects him. And now…your fate is sealed! Eat him Fenrir!"

Fenrir's mouth snapped shut, and Finn's brief screaming was cut off as the monstrous wolf gulped. Ihami smirked as the wolf patiently spat out a tiny clear orb with red flames within, which Ihami gladly took. "Thank you Fenrir, you've given me the item I needed."

The wolf howled one last time before he and his sons vanished, the Darkness Game coming to an end. With that finished Dalin approached, and she casually tossed him the Death-Sealing Spell of Flame. "Well, my part is done. So what say you? Shall we go celebrate our victories with a nice dinner? Heck, I'll even hold it in your honor."

Dalin paused for a moment, but after a few seconds of consideration he nodded. "Very well, I find that acceptable. Despite how bothersome it is, I am hungry."

She smiled broadly and clapped the big man on the shoulder. "Good thing too, I was starved. I've no idea what sort of food these Germans eat, but I certainly hope it's good."

Together they strolled out of the man's yard, seemingly unworried about the fact that Ihami had just had a man eaten by a giant wolf. Dalin looked down at the pseudo-teenager and let a small smile touch his lips. "I think you'll like Bratwurst."

Five minutes later, while still walking, she finally responded. "You said I'd like Bratwurst. Why do you think so? Is it like Egyptian food?"

Dalin paused to consider his answer, and then finally came up with one that made sense. "It is…phallic."

Ihami burst out laughing and slapped the big man on the back. "Whaddya know! You do have a sense of humor after all. Here I was thinking you were a cold and hard stone shell of a man."

Without missing a beat Dalin gave his response. "I am."

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Thirty minutes later they were finally sitting in a nice restaurant at a table together with food placed in front of them. Dalin was eating something that even he couldn't name, while Ihami was eating Bratwurst. And to her delight it was indeed phallic. "So far, I am enjoying this food."

Dalin said nothing, merely continued to eat. Ihami smiled slyly and looked up over her food at her companion. "So, you haven't asked me yet. I know you want to ask me that all consuming question."

"Perhaps to you that is the question of biggest importance, but to me it is of only minimal consequence. It is secondary. However, if you truly must have me ask, then I shall. Tell me, what do you want?" Ihami grinned and placed her chin in her hand, smiling up at him with her fork wavering in her left hand.

"Good question, yes indeed. Of course since you know what you want, I think I'll answer you. I want something very important. I want to live forever and enjoy the pleasures of life for all time. Which really, that's why I drugged your food." Dalin's deep green eyes widened and he tried to raise his right arm, but found that it felt like lead.

Ihami dropped her fork onto her plate and stood up. She strolled around the table and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling in that seductive way she always did. "Really, you should have seen this coming. And also…don't you find this ironic?"

Dalin found that he couldn't respond, as even his tongue felt like led. His eyes felt heavier by the second and he found consciousness was slipping away from him. "Yes, ironic indeed. After all…I represent Set in this world and you represent Osiris."

Dalin's vision went black and he knew nothing else until at last he was able to open his eyes again. When he did he felt weak, and he felt something cold against his legs and his wrists. Looking down he saw that he was shackled down, and on his sides were walls, including behind him. "What is this?"

Ihami continued to smile as she marked something on his chest. Dalin looked at it as closely as he could, seeing that it looked like an intricate design painted in something that felt much like blood. "Oh, I'm just making sure that everything goes like I want it to. This is a blood seal, which seals away your power. We're on the Nile by the way."

He noted the sound of moving water and tried to reach within for his power, but find himself unable to even touch it. "I see."

Ihami smiled as she picked up something from the side and slammed it down over him. It was a metal top, leaving only a small glass mirror that Dalin could see out of it. It was then that Dalin realized he was in a coffin. "I can't kill you Sumatin, so I'm doing exactly what my patron god did to yours. Goodbye Dalin."

He felt the coffin moving, and suddenly he heard a rushing sound and then a crash. Water rushing all around him, completely covering the coffin. He knew without a doubt that he was under the water. His last sight of anything but darkness was Ihami waving happily to him.

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Author's Notes: Hmmm….

_Next Time: At last only one Death-Sealing Spell remains and it is guarded by the final of Eikyuu's High Priests, the leader of them all. The task falls upon Takuya to defeat this priest and gain the final Death-Sealing Spell, but shaken as he is by his own near death and the death of Kai the duel may prove more difficult than he imagines._

_See it all in, Master of the Elements!_


	35. Master of the Elements

Author's Note: Finally the confrontation with the last of the priests…sorta!

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Master of the Elements**

Takuya scowled and kicked a pebble with his right foot, watching it skip along the ground. "Sent on a mission, I nearly die, and my teammate most likely does. Sent on another mission, and somehow I'm not feeling too great about the results."

He was well aware that this was a necessity in their efforts to stop the destruction of the Universe, but that didn't make it any more difficult to process. He was a martial artist, but he wasn't used to close friends dying. Or being shot.

Moscow. Of all places, he was in Moscow. And of all places, it was colder than hell itself. Of course he was well aware that Ryu and Autumn were probably freezing worse, but he still wasn't enjoying himself. Scowling he wrapped his thick coat around himself tighter. "I hate the cold…"

"That's a pity, I like the cold. Of course, I also like the hot…err…heat." Takuya sighed and dragged himself around in the snow to face whoever had spoken to him. The voice was younger and more active than he had expected from a priest.

The young man facing him was pale in the way that only someone who had enough Russian blood in them could be, although besides the paleness of his skin he didn't look at all Russian. His eyes were a bright aquamarine, and his hair a dirty blonde. "Who are you?"

The teenager, for he couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen, rubbed the back of his neck and looked abashed as he spoke. "Umm…Lin Koriki, errr….Temporary Head Priest of the Order of Immortality…ummm….also Temporary Guardian of the Death-Sealing Spell of Joining."

Takuya raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of the young man. Besides his obvious youth and how uncomfortable he seemed to be, he was also dressed strangely. Not only was his jacket an odd emerald green color, but he was wearing brown fingerless gloves and a bright green cap pulled over his head. "I'm not…err…what did you mean by Temporary?"

Lin laughed again and continued rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, you see technically my second cousin once removed is the actual Head Priest, but he's ill so I'm taking over this duty for him. So…we duel to see who gets the shiny orb, yeah?"

Unable to think of any other response Takuya just nodded his head and a grinning Lin strapped a black duel disk onto his right arm and flipped it open. "Great! I may not be much of a priest, but I'm a heck of a duelist!" (LLP: 4000)

Shaking his head in a mixture of disgust and relief Takuya reached into the depths of his jacket and pulled out a thick box. He opened it and turned it around to show Lin, revealing that it contained three decks. "Pick one. One is my personal deck, another is my tournament deck, and the third is a deck I'm reserving. The last one you can't choose."

Lin paused and then came to a decision. "Just use whichever deck is the one you think you can do best against me with. Doesn't matter to me, I just want a fun duel. Plus not to embarrass my second cousin once removed."

Takuya said nothing and just picked up one of the decks and placed it into his deck holder. Then he returned his deck box into his jacket and activated his duel disk. "Fine, then let's duel!" (TLP: 4000)

The blonde young pseudo-priest drew and immediately slapped a card down onto his duel disk. In response his disk generated an image of a card in a horizontal position on his field. A defensive monster. "End!"

Although he wasn't sure what to make of the move Takuya still took his own turn. _'Odd, my training lets my predict opponent's movements based on their eyes and often that gives me a general idea of what my opponent is up to on the dueling field. But he's not giving anything away but joy…meaning he's either a complete idiot or he knows his fighting.'_

Takuya examined the young man across from him, and came to the conclusion that it was the latter part. After all, this boy wasn't being entrusted with this job because he was the only one available. "Draw!"

He glanced down at his hand, and then threw out the monster he was holding. "Life Rock Knight(1600/1400) in attack mode! When this monster is summoned if I have no other warriors on the field I get to draw a card, and if the opponent has no other warriors on the field I get to add a warrior to my hand. I get both!"

First he drew a card off the top of his deck, and then he unfurled his deck and searched through it, carefully picking the monster he wanted. Once he had it he shuffled up and returned the deck to its place. Glancing up at his rock armored knight he made his choice on his move. "Life Rock Knight attacks your set monster!"

The bulky knight lifted up his rusty looking sword and slammed it down on the set monster. It appeared in the form of a bow being raised to stop the strike, and Life Rock Knight pushed down, trying to break through. "Damn…to high a defense…"

Lin chuckled as Life Rock Knight was tossed backwards, sliding to return to Takuya's field. At last Lin's monster was revealed as a blonde woman with white angel wings behind her body, holding a bow in her hand. "Not quite. This is the first of my Legendary Warriors, the Sky Archer(1300/1500). And she can't be beaten in battle by monsters with sixteen hundred or more attack points!"

It took Takuya a moment to consider what this meant, but once he had it made all the difference. _'It isn't as great an ability as say a complete inability to be beaten in battle, but it's close to it. While in defense mode her defense points are high enough that only a monster with sixteen hundred or more attack can beat her, so that means none can. It's an excellent defense.'_

Frowning Takuya slid two of his cards into his duel disk and then with one last look at his hand he made his choice. "Turn end."

Lin snickered and snapped around the card he had just drawn. It started glowing, and immediately Sky Archer raised her bow. Then she jumped into the air, her wings spreading out wide as they could go. "Magic card activates, Shot of the Clouds!"

Sky Archer knocked a white feathered arrow into her bow and took aim at Takuya. "What's she doing?"

"When Shot of the Clouds is played Sky Archer gets the ability to attack directly this turn. So now, Sky Archer attacks with Shot of the Clouds!" Sky Archer released the arrow which sailed true down from the air. Not wanting a repeat of the gunshot episode Takuya dodged to the side, so the arrow merely nicked his shoulder. (TLP: 2700)

Suddenly Takuya pointed to his face down card on the right, which flipped into a face-up position. "Reverse card open, Declaration of War! This continuous trap card only activates when I've received damage. During each of our turns we have to battle at least one pair of monsters. And since you don't have a choice, Sky Archer and Life Rock Knight now battle!"

Lin blinked in surprise as Life Rock Knight charged forwards and slashed his sword at the descending archer. She jumped backwards, barely blocking with her bow. "Clever…but still, your monster was too strong so she lives." (LLP: 3700)

"Maybe so, but the damage was dealt. And if you have no monster next turn, that means I'll get to battle Sky Archer again for more damage. That will continue as long as my continuous trap is in play." Lin paused, considering what options he might have in this situation.

Smirking he slid a card into his duel disk beneath Sky Archer. "I'll give her the equip card Winged Bow, which doesn't give her any point bonuses, but its ability will help all the same."

Her bow suddenly gained a pair of angelic wing extensions for each pointed back edge of the bow, making it look like the weapon a true angel would wield. "Finally I set one card face down. And it's all you."

Takuya drew and quickly added the card to his hand and then picked out another one. "Since your monster is in attack mode, I'll instead finish her off with this monster! Boiling Edge Knight(1500/1400)!"

A monster in blue armor stepped out of a giant card representation and reached behind his back for a sword strapped there. His arm was stopped when an arrow embedded itself in his chest. Boiling Edge Knight stared at the arrow for a few seconds and then burst apart. "What was that?"

Lin smirked and wagged a finger at him. "Heh, sorry buddy but that won't cut it. Winged Bow destroys any monsters of fifteen hundred or less attack that you summon. Meaning for the time being you can't beat Sky Archer in battle at all."

Without seeing any way to continue in that way, Takuya was well aware of what he could do. "I use the effect of Declaration of War, forcing Life Rock Knight and Sky Archer into battle!"

Life Rock Knight came head on and swung his blade overhead, which Sky Archer caught with her bow and forced backwards. Her knees nearly buckled from the impact however, and Lin's life points still took a hit. "Your trap is pretty cool." (LLP: 3400)

"Yes, well what makes it better is that I never actually declared battle. So now Life Rock Knight will attack again and deal you another round of damage! Even if I can't yet kill that archer, I'll chip away at your life points!" Without missing a beat the knight raised his heavy sword and attacked again.

To Takuya's surprise this time Sky Archer merely jumped deftly to the side, causing Life Rock Knight to stumble forwards. Once he had recovered he jumped back to Takuya's field. "What happened this time?"

"My trap Aerial Evasion ends the battle phase when a player declares Sky Archer as an attack target, so looks like you've failed to accomplish anything at all." Takuya frowned and immediately flipped around one of the cards he was holding.

"Activate quick-play magic card, Saving Face! This activates if I have a monster with 'knight' in its name on the field that has its attack negated or has its attack fail in any way. I can now destroy any monster on the opponent's field, so say goodbye to Sky Archer!" Lin gasped as his archer blew apart, sending itself and the equip card to the grave.

Once he recovered from his surprise Lin couldn't help but grin in what Takuya recognized as delight. "So you're no slouch of a duelist I see. That's good; I was hoping this would be a tough duel."

"You're right, I'm no slouch. So I'll continue to show that, but for now I'll just end my turn." He folded his hand up and dropped his arm to his side, waiting for his opponent to make his move. Lin drew and looked curiously at the new card.

"Go continuous magic card, A Legend Is Born! As long as this continuous magic card is active whenever I special summon one of my four legendary warriors or a special type of monster involving them, I get to draw two cards." Smirking he plucked another of the cards from his hand free and held it aloft.

"Since that's the case I'll play Birth by Ignition! This lets me special summon number two of the Legendary Warriors from my hand or deck, so meet Spearman of the Inferno(2000/1200)!" A burning meteor shot down from the sky above and crashed into the ground in front of Lin.

Slowly the fires died down, revealing the new monster that Lin had brought forth. It was a tall warrior in black and red samurai armor, its black helmet adorned with yellow forehead decorations and its face covered by a red faceplate. In its right hand was a long black-handled spear. "Next since I special summoned this guy I draw two cards!"

Lin grabbed two cards off his deck at once and gave them a quick once over before returning to the field. "Since he's tougher I'd say its time to have this brutal attacker beat down your Life Rock Knight!"

Spearman of the Inferno raised his spear, the bladed end bursting into flame, and hurled the weapon straight at Takuya's weaker knight. Takuya reacted immediately, slashing his left arm out over his remaining set card. "Open reverse card, Element Shield! If my monster is anything but a light or dark monster I can negate your attack and remove the attacker from the game!"

The pseudo-priest responded by twisting one of the cards in his hand around for Takuya to see. "Sorry buddy, but no can do. I play Absolute Negation which will call back my attack, making you have used your trap for nothing. Of course my attack is still a failure, but I keep my monster."

With its spear back in hand the Spearman looked calm and collected, and not the raging fire monster that it had been seconds earlier. Takuya was disappointed that he hadn't gotten to remove it, but glad that his monster had survived. "Okay, I'm not done yet. I activate the continuous magic card Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm. This lets me draw two cards instead of one during my draw phase."

Finally taking one of the last two cards in his hand Lin placed it behind his Spearman and gave Takuya a mock salute. "Turn end sir!"

Takuya glanced at his graveyard slot for a brief moment after drawing, and then saw his own face-up trap card starting to glow. "Instead of having it attack and be slaughtered I'll tribute my knight for another knight. This time my choice of monster fits yours, as its Inferno Supremus Knight(2400/2000)!"

His newest monster was wearing silver armor and a conical helmet, but it had a painting of a raging wildfire on its chest and the sword it held aloft was a raging flame of its own. "This monster has an ability that deals one hundred damage times the slain monster's level when it beats a monster. So starting off according to the effect of Declaration of War our monsters fight!"

Inferno Supremus Knight began to raise his burning sword above his head for an attack, but suddenly Spearman of the Inferno slammed his spear into the ground. Bright sparks flew up and Takuya's knight grabbed at its eyes and stumbled around. "What did you do to him?"

"I'm sure you remember my Aerial Evasion, so I'll let you know that I used a similar trap called Sudden Flare that works with Spearman of the Inferno instead. So since technically it's the chosen target of battle, I was able to stop you." Takuya clicked his tongue against his teeth, bothered by his failure to beat the monster yet. A brief flash of Kai went through his mind and he shook it off. He couldn't end up like that, he wouldn't let it happen.

"I play one card face down and end my turn! Bring on as many Legendary Warriors as you want, but they can't beat my Knights of the Elements!" Lin and Takuya's eyes met and they burned with as great of flames as the two fire type monsters they had on their fields.

For the start of his turn thanks to his continuous magic card Lin drew two cards, bringing him up to three cards in his hand. He grinned at what he saw and snapped his fingers. "Spearman of the Inferno's effect activates now!"

Spearman of the Inferno held his spear above his head and began to spin it. Bolts of flame flew out of it, landing all around Takuya and Lin. The two duelists edged away from the flames, but still they licked at their legs. "During my standby phase he deals us both five hundred damage." (TLP: 2200, LLP: 2900)

Grabbing one of the cards he had drawn Lin held it up above his head. "Since you enjoyed the combo of my first continuous magic card and Birth by Ignition so much I'll do something like that again. This time I'll be playing Left by the Tide!"

A wave crashed down on the field, depositing a swanky look man face first. He lay there for fifteen or twenty seconds and then coughed and pushed himself to his feet very slowly. "Meet Legendary Warrior the third, the master of the seas, Swashbuckler of the Roaring Ocean(1500/1400)!"

Swashbuckler was the very image of a pirate. In his right hand was a rapier, and his black hair was breaded and held in check by a blue bandana. Marking his left eye was an eye patch, and he also had a short little mustache. He casually adjusted his black gloves and the black jacket he wore over his white shirt and smirked. When he smirked, a gold tooth glinted from within. "This guy's tougher than he looks, and I'll show you how with this next magic card!"

He went to lift up the last remaining card of his opening hand, and then paused. "Oh yeah, first I get to draw because of my continuous magic card. Two new cards for this old boy."

As soon as he had drawn his new cards he grabbed the old card and lifted it above his head like he had originally intended to. "Go, Fury of the Waves! During this turn Swashbuckler of the Roaring Ocean gains a thousand attack points!"

The cocky smirk on Swashbuckler's face faded and he balled his left hand into a fist, his teeth grinding together as his anger gathered. "Let's take your big bad flame user down a notch! Rapier of the Sea!"

With a terrible roar of anger Swashbuckler ran full tilt at the knight, his blade swinging in crazy wide arcs as he went. Takuya knew that his time to act was now, so he had to do it. "I'll stop your monster in its tracks with Life Seal of Elements! Not only does this continuous trap negate one attack per turn by removing an elemental monster from the game, it also gives me a thousand life points whenever I do so."

Life Rock Knight slipped out of Takuya's grave and the martial artist tucked it into one of his wide puffy pockets. Swashbuckler's rapier slammed against an invisible wall and he screamed in anger. "Sorry Lin, but your monster was denied." (TLP: 3200)

Lin smirked in response. "You sure about that? Maybe you should take another look."

Takuya blinked in surprise when the rapier darted in and stabbed his knight in the chest. The knight groaned and collapsed, bursting into flame. "What the…how did he do that?" (TLP: 3100)

"Simple, Swashbuckler's own effect is that he can attack twice during each battle phase. Oh, and since your field is now empty, that means I'll attack you directly with Spearman of the Inferno!" Takuya groaned as flames roared around his body, stripping him of most of his life points. (TLP: 1100)

Lin grinned and grabbed at one of his other cards. "Now I'll show you what I meant by special forms. See, there are four different Legendary Warriors, and while that's a small number they can combine for greater power. In other words, here's their real strength. Polymerization!"

The two monsters were pulled together into a warp, creating a brand new monster. Instead of an impressive monster of frightening stature all that came of the fusion was a depressed-looking man with long, filthy brown hair and beard. He wore brown rags under the remains of broken armor, and in his hand was a rusty cracked sword. "That's your fusion? He's pathetic looking."

Instead of looking offended Lin just nodded. "That's right, because he's the Warrior of Lost Hopes(2500/1600). His special effect will really come in handy later. But for the moment since he was special summoned I get to draw two cards."

Lin replenished his hand with two brand new cards, giving him four total. "I'll set up one card and give you the turn."

Takuya drew his card and winced at what he saw. It was a man in heavy armor with long black hair in an old fashioned ponytail…just like how Kai wore his hair. _'Even if this guy wants this duel to be a fair and fun one…I can't let up any chance at victory! If I don't win more people could die!'_

Taking a different card from his hand he slammed it down onto the field. "Breeze Knight(1700/1400) in attack mode! When this monster is summoned I can send one face down card on the opponent's field back to their hand!"

Lin's set card popped out of his duel disk and back into his hand, leaving only the much too strong Warrior of Lost Hopes. "Your warrior may be strong, but raw strength isn't everything! I equip Breeze Knight with Element Blade, boosting his attack by eight hundred!"

A hilt with no blade replaced the white armored knight's own sword. The knight, whose helmet appeared like a dove's, squeezed the hilt tight and suddenly a gleaming white blade of air erupted from the end. "With twenty-five hundred attack points our monsters are dead even, meaning neither of us has the advantage."

Seeing no other options there was just one last thing to do. "End."

Since it was his turn Lin drew two cards from his Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm's effect. "Now, during my standby phase Warrior of Lost Hopes adds one of two monsters to my hand or a 'Polymerization'. I choose to add a monster to my hand."

His deck spat out a card, pumping him up to seven in hand. "Now, I summon the final of all four Legendary Warriors. Here is Defender of the Mountain(1400/2000)!"

Heavy footfalls were the first indication that the coming monster was physically large. But when he actually showed his face it seemed to Takuya that the sound was from the terrible weight of his armor. Defender was a bulky warrior wielding a spike mace in his left hand and a thick shield in the right hand. His armor was a dark brown that revealed absolutely no skin and looked very thick. "He's no match for my monster!"

Lin nodded and flicked up one of his hand cards. "Yep, that's exactly why I'll play this card in conjunction with him. It's the mighty magic card Rock Crusher Mace! It destroys all monsters on your field with defense points lower than Defender of the Mountain's!"

Defender of the Mountain immediately slammed his heavy mace into the ground, cracking it and sending a fissure spreading out towards Breeze Knight. The knight stumbled in an attempt to get away but failed and fell into the open fissure. "Damn…"

"Okay, now it's his turn for a direct attack! Go get him Defender of the Mountain!" Again the warrior crushed his mace into the ground, breaking it apart in an expanding line that headed straight for Takuya.

"I remove Breeze Knight from the game to activate Life Seal of Elements' effect!" He grabbed the knight from his grave and an invisible barrier stopped the expanding fissure. The fissure was pushed back and closed up, protecting Takuya. (TLP: 2100)

Takuya braced himself for the next attack that would end it…but it never came. "Wh…why aren't you attacking?"

Lin chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Ah, Warrior of Lost Hopes is so dejected he's lost the ability to attack at all. So you're safe for the time being."

Taking one of his other cards Lin placed it face down. As it appeared in front of him Takuya considered carefully the look on Lin's face, trying to judge if it was the same card that he had set last turn. _'Damn, he really is good at hiding it. It's not going to work on him at all.'_

Drawing without a word Takuya made note of the card that he had drawn the previous turn. He reached for it but then jerked his hand away. _'I…I can't play it? Am I really this pathetic that I'm shaken so easily?'_

"I set a monster and end my turn." Lin drew instantly, getting two cards and then a card from his deck thanks to his fusion monster.

Lin suddenly snapped his fingers and his set card revealed itself. "Bet you thought this was a serious trap. In fact it's just my Pyro Clock of Destiny! Its effect speeds up the turn count of the duel by one, meaning I get to search my deck again."

As quick as a flash Lin had eight cards in his hand as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Meanwhile Takuya had two continuous trap cards, one of which he couldn't use anymore without risking of losing and only two cards in hand, one of which he couldn't force himself to use. "I can see you're nervous, and you've got every right to be. After all, I'm about to unleash the ultimate power of my deck!"

Takuya bit his bottom lip and drew blood. He could tell that Lin was completely serious when he said that. "First up I'll play Defusion, splitting my Warrior of Lost Hopes back into Spearman of the Inferno and Swashbuckler of the Roaring Ocean!"

His two former monsters reappeared and Takuya made a connection. By the grin on Lin's face he was absolutely right. "I can tell that you know what happens now. Now since I special summoned them back to the field I get to draw a total of four cards!"

In mere seconds he had pumped his hand size up to eleven cards with essentially no effort. "That's not all, to create my ultimate monster I have to play Polymerization one more time! This time I'll fuse Defender of the Mountain, Spearman of the Inferno, Swashbuckler of the Roaring Ocean, and from my hand Sky Archer!"

A spinning vortex of brown, red, white, and a blue merged together. When the lights faded the new monster was revealed. He looked like some sort of Asian monk as his head was shaved bald, his eyes closed in contemplation, and he wore green robes and held a staff in his hands. "This is he. Master of the Elements(4200/4100)!"

Takuya gulped, realizing just how big of trouble he was in. Even without any effects Master of the Elements would be a formidable foe, and Takuya could tell that this wasn't a monster without effects. "Damn…"

"You should be saying that, since now I draw two more cards again, putting me back up at eleven in hand!" He drew twice, grinning like a lunatic as he did so. It looked strange to compare that bulky hand with the two lonely cards that Takuya was holding.

Seconds later a card shot out of Lin's grave and he held it up, revealing it to be one of the two Sky Archers in his grave. "Now I activate one of Master of the Elements' effects! By removing a wind type monster from my grave he gains the ability to attack your life points directly this turn!"

A powerful gust of air shot past Lin and into Master of the Elements back. Using the boost from the torrential winds the staff wielding warrior shot like a rocket across the field, staff pointed directly at Takuya's throat. "You should have known, I remove Inferno Supremus Knight to negate it!" (TLP: 3100)

The staff ricocheted off that same invisible barrier from before and with grace and eyes still closed the Master returned to Lin's side. "Of course I knew, but that didn't mean I wouldn't try. Also, I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Hold up right there! You've still got nine cards left in your hand, so you better discard until you've fallen to six cards." Lin grinned and grabbed three cards from his hand. He turned them around showed them to Takuya.

"I discard Sky Lark(700/400), Fire Drake(600/900), and Mountain Lion(400/1200) from my hand. These three monsters are familiars to my Legendary Warriors, and since they share their elements I've now got extra fuel for Master of the Elements!" Takuya scowled and reached for his deck, realizing that he was in over his head.

"Activate magic card, Fire Knight's Strike! If there's a fire element warrior in the grave I can destroy any monster on the opponent's field. And my target is Master of the Elements!" A warrior formed of pure fire erupted from his card and charged towards the Master, intent on slaying him.

Lin's right arm snapped out over one of his two set cards and it flipped up, revealing a continuous trap. "Will of the Legend gives magic and trap immunity to all my Legendary Warriors and their fusions!"

A white glow sprang up around Master of the Elements and the burning knife exploded against his chest. The fire faded away quickly, revealing that Master of the Elements was completely unharmed. "Damn it…"

Without missing a beat Lin pointed to his other set card which also flipped up. "I'll also activate Infinite Disregard! This lets me choose any card name and never have to pay life points for that card for as long as this card is in play. My choice is Will of the Legend, which has a thousand point upkeep."

Takuya cursed under his breath, seeing the meaning behind that. Now it meant that his Legendary Warriors would have infinite immunity to magic and trap cards for as long as those two cards remained in play. _'Guess that leaves monster effects and battle to beat his behemoth.'_

Grabbing one of the last two cards in his hand Takuya placed it down onto the field, causing another horizontal backed card to appear on his field. "A monster in defense. End."

Lin drew twice, and then slid one of the cards into his duel disk. "I'll add on to my combination by playing Soul Absorption. Whenever a card is removed from the game I'll gain five hundred life points."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly the two set monsters burst into flames. "By removing fire monsters from my grave, namely my Fire Drake and Spearman of the Inferno I can destroy one of your monsters. So both of your monsters are gone!" (LLP: 4400)

Takuya grimaced, knowing he was definitely in trouble here. "Master of the Elements attacks your life points directly!"

Again an invisible wall blocked the strike before it could hit Takuya, boosting his life points at the same time. "At this rate we're in a deadlock." (TLP: 4100)

Without saying another word Lin discarded a card from his hand, showing that he was done with his turn. With a sigh Takuya reached for his deck, not quite sure what he could do to bring this duel back under his control and win. _'This is looking bad for me…'_

The sight of his newest card gave him hope that he wasn't sure he still had. "To summon this monster I have to remove all elemental monsters in my grave from the game, it's a risk but it has to be taken! That's four monsters, so the life points are all yours!" (LLP: 6400)

A tall warrior in pitch black armor walked out onto the field, a long and thick blade slung over one shoulder. His helmet was nowhere to be found, but the spikes on his shoulders added a definite air of threatening power to him. As did the fact that his sword had to be nearly as tall as he and about a foot thick. "This is my mighty Element Assault Knight(4500/0)! He throws everything else away in return for brutal attack points!"

Lin's eyes widened in surprise as Element Assault Knight's grip tightened on his sword and swung it down. A blast of burning wind shot out of the tip directly at the Master of Elements. "Goodbye Master of Elements!"

The flaming wind exploded, sending rocks flying all over the field. Takuya grinned, happy to have gotten that out of the way. "What are you happy about?"

Takuya's grin faded as the dust settled. A half-broken rock wall stood between him and Master of the Elements, who was still intact. "But…but you have no set cards!"

"That's right, I don't. Instead I have Master of the Elements' next ability that of removing an earth type monster from my grave to negate an attack. That means that despite your monster's strength I can still stop it." Takuya scowled, seeing Lin's life points raise up as well thanks to Soul Absorption. This was getting worse by the minute. (LLP: 6900)

Lin reached for his next two cards, but paused when Life Seal of Elements exploded. "What in the world was that?"

"When I have no elemental monsters in my grave during my end phase my Life Seal is destroyed. Now go and get this over with." Lin nodded and finally drew his two cards. Of course there was little option for playing cards as his magic and trap zones were all full.

Seconds ticked away as Lin examined one of the cards he had drawn, and then he started snickering. "Perfect, I'll beat down your ultimate element monster with my own! I'll do it by discarding Legend's Superiority! By discarding it and my whole hand I can double any Legendary Warrior's attack points for the rest of the duel!"

Master of the Elements was suddenly surrounded by a huge spinning vortex of fire, water, sand, and wind. After nearly a minute of the continuous special effects the Master tapped the end of his staff on the ground, banishing the vortex. "And now his attack is at eight thousand four hundred points. All that, and he can't use his effects till my next turn. Cool isn't it?"

Takuya felt his hands shaking as Master of the Elements gripped his staff. "Yeah…cool."

"That's right, it's damned awesome! Strike of Elemental Mastery!" Master of the Elements simply vanished. Almost instantly he reappeared directly in front of Element Assault Knight and tapped the monster's forehead with his staff. The knight looked shocked for a moment, and then burst apart. (TLP: 200)

Takuya knew perfectly well that it all came down to this. Yet somehow he couldn't see how it would make a difference. "Do innocent people have to die so that others can live?"

Lin blinked, taken off guard by the question. "I…I don't know. My parents died when I was young, innocent and taken from this world by an accident. I lived and here I am. Isn't it important for people to live though?"

"It is…but it doesn't make it any easier. Yet I understand partially that it gives me something to fight for. To fight and make sure that nobody else dies, to make sure that the death of an innocent, the death of a friend, is not in vain. I think I've figured out who my enemy is…" Lin met Takuya's eyes, both of them utterly serious.

Takuya placed two fingers on the top of his next card and drew, snapping it out to the side. "My enemy is he who would take innocent life for the purpose of self advancement! He who would take innocent life for the purpose of amusement! I can't undo the nature of the Universe that seems to say innocents will inevitably die so that others will live…but I'll do my best to fight it anyway!"

He thrust out his card, revealing it to be a magic card. On it a man in regal robes had a sword against the shoulder of a man kneeling before him. "Knighting Ceremony is my card! It lets me special summon any monster with 'knight' in its title from my hand to the field no matter what the cost for it!"

Without another thought about it he slapped the monster he had been saving onto his duel disk. The man that stepped out had long black hair done in an old-fashioned topknot, and had a katana at his waist. He wore bamboo sandals, and the red garb of an old samurai. "Knight of the Orient-Fire Soul(2800/2500)!"

"What's that monster going to do? Compared to Master of the Elements he's just a pipsqueak." Takuya closed his eyes and his samurai dropped one hand to the base of its sheath and the other to the hilt. It slid its legs slightly apart, dropping into a stance that showed a readiness to charge and unsheathe his blade at the same time.

"Pipsqueak? Perhaps he's smaller and has less attack points, but in terms of pure skill with the blade my Knight of the Orient far surpasses your monster! Allow me to prove it with one final ultimate strike! Ultimate Technique; Burning Soul God's Blade!" In a flash the samurai unsheathed his sword. A thin line of red flame slashed across the field and through Master of the Elements. Then without anything else happening the samurai sheathed his sword.

Master of the Elements stood strong…and then burst into flames. Lin's eyes were wider than should have been possible as his ultimate monster burned to ash. "What…what in the seven hells was that?"

"That was Fire Soul's supreme technique, usable only once during the duel. This monster cannot attack but has four techniques, each of which does something different. The final one allows him to destroy any monster in play and then deal its attack as damage to the opponent!" Lin gasped as he looked down at his duel disk and saw that it was true. His life points were falling faster than stock prices in the U.S. (LLP: 0)

Takuya took one last look at Fire Soul before it faded away, the duel at last finished. "Thank you for that duel, it helped me understand my role in what's to come. I'm a warrior, a fighter, no matter what that will always be the case. So I guess it's my duty to fight for others weaker than myself, to protect the innocent."

Lin smiled and pulled a crystal clear orb out of his coat and tossed it to Takuya. The martial artist caught it and gave it a careful look, examining the glowing center. After he was satisfied he tucked it into his own thick coat. "You're a great duelist guy. I bet you'll do great at protecting people."

The two shared a smile and Takuya turned to walk away. He paused after taking several steps in that direction and craned his neck back to look at Lin. "By the way, my mine is Takuya Shinomori. Remember it, because I just might come back one day looking to duel you again."

The young blonde man grinned and waved at the departing warrior. "I think I'd like that. See ya Takuya, as long as the world doesn't end!"

Takuya sighed and stared at the now setting sun, his mind on those last few words. To himself he whispered. "Yeah…as long as the world doesn't end."

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Author's Notes: And that mini-arc comes to a conclusion. Next is a full arc which will essentially last until the end of the story, but technically in my mind goes for 17 more chapters. We're officially in part two of this story.

_Next Time: The Death-Sealing Spells have been gathered. Losses have been taken. Secrets are brewing beneath the surface. The clock begins to tick down as the last of the month flies by. Ihami's traitorous actions are revealed and by the end of the month all hell will break loose. Time has run out._

_See it all in, Countdown Begins! The Second Seal Shatters!_


	36. Countdown Begins! Second Seal Shatters!

Author's Note: Let part two of Last Rays of Twilight begin!

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Countdown Begins! The Second Seal Shatters!**

They stood together in the center of Dalin's house, all of them remaining gathered together. Ryu placed the Death-Sealing Spell of Tide on the floor in front of him and stepped back so he was standing next to Autumn. "That's one."

Alice stepped away from Hikari and placed the Death-Sealing Spell of Wind next to Ryu's gathered seal, then returned to Hikari's side. "Number two right there."

Nikolas rolled his eyes and dropped the Death-Sealing Spell of Earth into the pile. "Three."

Ihami smirked and let the crystal orb float from her hand down until it settled amongst the other three. "Death-Sealing Spell of Flame makes four."

Takuya pulled the Death-Sealing Spell of Joining from his pocket and added it to the growing pile of Death-Sealing Spells. "That's the fifth."

Last but not least Dalin knelt down and set the Death-Sealing Spell of Thunder with the rest, completing the group. "And that makes all six. We've successfully gathered the six Death-Sealing Spells, just as we needed to."

Silence straddled the room like a giant, ready to crush anyone who dared to speak. Finally gathering some courage Ryu let his voice be known. "Ummm…so what do we do now? We're supposed to use them as a temporary seal on this ancient evil thing right? But how do we go about that?"

"Probably play right into the hands of the enemy I'd wager." Ryu's eyes widened as he felt a presence at his shoulder. He tried to move, but his body felt like led, he couldn't even twitch a finger.

The rest of the group felt basically the same, and none of them could move an inch. Casually strolling into the ground with his black trench coat flicking out behind him was a familiar yet changed figure. Hikari stared at the newcomer in fear. "….Drake?"

Even though he wasn't facing her Hikari knew that voice, that voice and that swagger anywhere. It couldn't be anyone but her brother. "Close, but not exactly. The name is D'raka, and I've come to reap the fruits of your labor."

Alice blinked and mulled over what he had said. Once she came to a conclusion she voiced it. "So…you're Drake's evil twin brother then?"

D'raka stopped in front of the pile of Death-Sealing Spells and a big drop of sweat formed on his brow. "Yeah….let's go with that."

Although almost everyone seemed too confused to really make much of a fuss, that didn't apply to all of them. Nikolas was struggling, his muscles quivering as he tried as hard as he could to move, to even activate his magic and free himself. But nothing was coming. "What the hell are you talking about anyways? Reap the fruits of our labor? What's that crap about?"

D'raka laughed the sound dark and confident at the same time. "The term Death-Sealing Spells is a bit of a misnomer, a misnomer you believed. They were created thousands of years ago to do exactly what you want to do with them, to act as a temporary seal should one of the seals on that evil be broken."

Autumn gulped, unable to hide the fear that was creeping through her body merely being in this strange Drake's presence. "But…if they do what we think, how is it a misnomer?"

D'raka knelt and reached out with one hand, stopping it just inches away from the first of the Death-Sealing Spells. A wavering heat was between his hand and the crystal. "Because they act like a sort of emergency system. The instant one of the seals breaks they get activated and are placed in the hands of their chosen guardians. Meaning that the duty you want to use them for is already what they are being used to do."

To their surprise Ihami stepped forward and reached out, letting one of the six orbs fly up into her outstretched hand. "In other words the reason we all gathered them was so that the temporary seal could be broken. You were all used to put them into my hands."

Alice struggled against the bonds of power that kept her in her place and tried to reach them. "You traitor! I'll stop you!"

Ihami's lilting crystalline laugh echoed through the room as she sauntered over to the struggling young woman. Ihami placed one cool hand against the girl's cheek and smiled. "I'm sorry, you seem to be under a mistaken impression that I was ever on your side to begin with. The only side I've ever been on is my own. I do whatever is in my best interest."

Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of the ancient Egyptian woman Alice turned her attention to the frozen Dalin, tears brimming in her eyes. "Senpai! You have to stop them senpai, please!"

"Senpai! Senpai! Save me! Save me! Make it all better, waa, waaa! Sob sob!" D'raka chuckled and walked over to the frozen Dalin, who so far had said nothing, and placed his hand on the man's chest.

"Little Alice, you keep whining and complaining like this fucking thing is gonna save you. Well, it may look like your precious mentor, but he's just a shell, a husk used for our own purposes. A puppet made in his image. A puppet that bows to its masters." To everyone's surprise Dalin dropped to one knee and bowed his head. D'raka patted the top of that head without a word.

"Why make us do it for you? Those guys weren't that tough." Ryu's words seemingly caught D'raka off guard, because there was no initial response. Finally he brought his hand away from the false Dalin's head and he turned to face Ryu.

Ryu's entire body felt colder and weaker when he saw D'raka's face for the first time since his appearance. There was still a resemblance to Drake, but his eyes were much different. The left eye was the same violet shade as Drake's, only a storm of red dots swam through it like silt in a river. "What the hell?"

It was the second eye, his right eye, which really threw them all off. A large scar ran from just below his right eye to the top of his forehead, indicating that at some point damage had been dealt. But in place of the normal violet eye was a size larger, and the pupil was a red gaping maw of slavering teeth. "What the hell you ask? This is a special eye I acquired recently with a little help. An eye that brings me one step closer to my goal."

D'raka smirked and patted Ryu on the shoulder. "You wanted to know why I didn't just go and get them myself. Well as part of the magic placed on them the Death-Sealing Spells cannot be used by whoever wins them. So had I gone to get them they would have been useless to me."

Ihami strolled up and wrapped an arm around D'raka's waist, grinning to show off her pearly white teeth. "That's where I came in. Like we heard, the Death-Sealing Spells can't be given, only won. However, that rule only applies to mortals. Since I'm immortal I can take the Death-Sealing Spells and simply give them to D'raka."

"Why? What do you get out of all this?" Ihami and D'raka both looked over at Hikari, who was watching them with a somewhat sickened expression. Whether it was from the whole situation or just seeing someone who looked like her with her arm around someone who looked her brother's waist that made her sick.

Ihami tapped her chin with her free hand, looking like she was trying to think up the answer. Finally she snapped her fingers as it came to her. "Oh that's right, living forever. See, I love to live; I've grown attached to it. In exchange for the Death-Sealing Spells my buddy D'raka here will deal with the one remaining person who can kill me, who I myself can't deal with."

"Where's senpai?" Ihami released D'raka and walked back over to Alice. She leaned in closer, her nose nearly touching Alice's.

"He's floating in a casket down the Nile, never to be seen again. Good thing as well, since he's one of only two people in the world that can kill me. Since he's out of the way, D'raka will willingly take care of the second. Then I can live forever." She pulled away from Alice, who let her eyes drift to the ground, trying to hide the tears that were starting to flow freely.

D'raka snorted and shoved his hands into the pockets of his sleeveless trench coat. "Let's get on with this shit, the whole villains explaining their plots thing gets annoying. Give me the Death-Sealing Spells so I can get the fuck out of here and on with my plans."

He snapped his fingers and each of the others in the room felt their lips being pulled together by the same weight that kept them from moving. "Well hooray for the sounds of fucking silence. Never thought they'd shut up."

He cast a glance at Ihami, who ignored him and placed one hand over the pile of Death-Sealing Spells. They floated up into the air until they were all spinning in a tight circle around her hand. They were soon joined by the one she had previously picked up. "D'raka, I gift these Death-Sealing Spells to you in accordance with the laws of deep magic placed upon them by the gods. They are yours to do with as you see fit."

They shot out from her hand towards D'raka. The dark version of Drake merely raised one hand, causing the crystal orbs to stop before striking him. He let them float above his open palm, looking at them carefully. "Took long enough. Keh, these brats are just fucking lucky the magic of the Death-Sealing Spells prevents me from directly killing them. Still, there's more to do, so I'm leaving."

D'raka scowled and turned around, looking directly at Hikari. "Damn, I almost forgot. For this to work I have to sacrifice everyone closest to me in blood. Its blood magic that destabilizes the sealing power of the spells, understand? So you're going to become my sacrifice."

Hikari's violet eyes narrowed as she heard a voice in her head speak words she had thought were only her own over-active imagination. Words spoken by someone with eyes like D'raka's. _"Die by my hand! Become my sacrifice and die a thousand deaths!"_

"It was real…the whole time it was real." D'raka walked up to her and tapped on her forehead with one finger. Instantly the two vanished, disappearing into themselves as if pulled in by a black hole.

Ihami looked around at the others one last time and then glanced back at the kneeling puppet Dalin. He stood up and walked up to her, standing at her side. "Well, it's been fun kids. And in no time at all the story is going to take a nasty turn, get ready because death is going to come for each of you. Tootles!"

Like D'raka and Hikari she vanished, only she disappeared in a flash of light along with her puppet. As soon as she was out of sight the gathered group were released from their restraints and collapsed on the ground. Alice was sobbing, and nobody else could seem to think of anything to say.

At least until Takuya stood tall and looked around at the rest of them, his eyes burning up. "We were used, well so what? We've taken losses, including some of our biggest guns and leaders? Well so what? We're still here, we're still alive, and so we can't give up! We have to keep fighting so that innocent people don't keep dying!"

Ryu snorted and sat on his haunches, his eyes hidden by his bangs as he hung his head. "And what? What do you expect us to do next? The guy telling us what to do was Dalin, we don't know where to go from here."

Takuya looked up at the ceiling, his body completely still. "We were betrayed not just by Ihami, but also by the Puppeteer. That doesn't mean its over. I know that there are other people out there with information, and I know just who to ask. We'll stop this from happening, you'll see."

Nikolas picked himself up and started to walk towards the door, but paused right before walking out suddenly. He turned and looked back at Takuya and smirked. "I'm not going to back out now. I have yet to finish my dealings with Sumatin, so I'm in until then. And I have a question I have to answer for that bitch Ihami, once I figure out what the answer is. And besides, if the Universe is destroyed there won't be anything left to steal."

He clasped hands with Takuya and the two shook on it, determined to keep going. With a sigh Ryu stood and held his hand out to Takuya, who also shook it. "Well, I guess I'm still in. Hell, I don't want the Universe to end more than anybody else. Besides, even if we can't stop those two freak jobs we can still stop that lunatic Taichi."

Autumn shook her head and picked herself up, then also shook hands with Takuya. "I don't see why I shouldn't stick around. I've been with you idiots this long, I might as well stay with you until the end of the Universe. Even if it is sooner than expected."

All of them looked to Alice, whose shoulders still shook but whose sobs were now silent. She continued like that for a few more minutes, her shakes slowing bit by bit until she was at last completely motionless. When it was gone, she pushed herself up to her feet and met their eyes. "Senpai wouldn't stop fighting, so I can't disappoint him. As long as I've got breath in my body I won't stop fighting, just like him!"

Takuya happily shook her hand and then slammed his fist into his open palm. "Alright then! We're all together on this, so we've got to make haste. To win this thing we're gonna need a few more allies, so we need to get in touch with Kirani and her family, I'll explain why in a minute. Then we need to find Taichi and stop him. But most of all, we need some big guns for this. We're going to need Drake."

Nikolas smirked and looked out the open window at the dark night, stars filling the sky. "Then what are we waiting for? It's already past twilight, so let's not even waste an hour of the night!"

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"You've been doing well so far…better than I expected. Of course…that doesn't mean our project is even close to…being complete." The wheezing of air through burnt lunges made speech more difficult, but he spoke nevertheless.

Sitting in a wheelchair, his body covered in bandages with tubes connected to him and a breathing mask on his face was none other than Taichi Nobuki, his cold eyes gazing at the dark hair of head kneeling in front of him. Standing behind him was his assistant, a beautiful woman who had proved to be useful. "Sir, you're going to be in terrible shape if you don't go for treatment soon."

Taichi's hoarse breath rattled out his ruined lips and he took a deep breath from the oxygen mask, replenishing his limited supply. "Not yet…more has to be done. We have to put the last pieces…in place. That's where…you come in."

His eyes remained fixed on the young fellow at his feet. The young man bowed his head deeper and began to speak, but was cut off by a popping noise. All of them looked to the left, where none other than D'raka stood. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything? I have? Good."

Taichi felt rage bubbling up in his chest. He had hoped to be done with this bastard, but again he had come. He had already given too much to this bastard, and he didn't want to give anything else. "What else do you want? Don't you….have enough…already?"

D'raka sneered and strolled over to the end of the control booth, looking down at the production line below, listening to the screams. "Oh I just need a few more things. First and foremost…I need Tenjiku Ihachi."

Taichi sighed and waved one hand briefly as if dismissing the idea. "Fine, take her. I don't even…know which plant she's…in. She's yours…."

The dark figure nodded, his eyes continuing to roam the plant floor. "Good, good. You know it still amazes me how things like this can work out. Now as for the last thing, I'm going to need you to give me as many dead bodies you can, as long as they have used Blood before. The highest level available as well."

Again Taichi waved his hand. "I don't care…if you take…the corpses. Just be done….with it. I'm tired of….talking to you. Get out of here…."

D'raka smirked and walked away from the window, brushing by the young man on the floor and winking at the attractive assistant with his good left eye. "Looks like everything is going to work out. This is the continuation of a beautiful friendship. I'll see you again Taichi, don't die on me until then."

He disappeared just as he had appeared, vanishing into himself with a pop. Taichi's assistant placed a hand on his shoulder in a soothing gesture, which he didn't shrug away. "Evelyn…you're always so kind….the kindest person I….ever knew. I expect you to…end it…if I ever give in."

"Of course sir. As always I'll be by your side and do as you say. But are you sure it's wise to honor the agreement you were placed under all those years ago? It is dangerous." Taichi reached up one shaky hand and placed it on top of hers, his eyes seemingly colder than usual.

"I want to see mankind suffer…and so it will. But to protect….my interests and yours….that's where you come in. You know what to do…don't you?" The young man nodded and then rose to his feet, his dark blue eyes shining bright, his pitch black hair falling freely across his forehead.

"Of course I do. Always remember that I will do anything you ask of me…father."

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Three weeks passed faster than any of them thought possible. Every minute seemed to be filled with frantic efforts, questions, and very few answers. For one pair it was an entirely different situation as the month came to a close.

Drake sighed and stared out at the setting sun. His training was complete, at least in his father's eyes. He had defeated Masue, surpassed him in terms of dueling and fighting in the space of a month. Surpassed his own previous limits. But it was just the beginning. "It's almost twilight."

Masue nodded, standing next to his son and also watching as the brilliant ball of fire descended in the horizon. "That's true. After twilight the night will come."

They continued to stare into the distance, neither saying a word for several minutes as it continued to grow darker. Finally Drake broke that silence. "It was…interesting getting to know you. And don't worry; I'll get it as quick as possible once I leave."

The father sighed and shook his head. "You beat me, you surpassed me, but it's far from over. You'll still have to continue to improve, and to fight. And you'll have to answer many important questions. Your struggle has only just begun Daisuke."

"Yeah, maybe so. Still, I've never backed down from any challenge in the past so I'm hardly going to back down from this challenge. I'll meet it head on and defeat it, just like all the others!" Masue laughed at his son's enthusiasm and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"You understand that this is the last time we'll see each other, don't you? I can't remain for more than a day in the living world, and soon I'll cease to exist. Expending my limits like this to help out is going to destroy my soul. So before that I wanted to apologize for not being there for you. I wish that" He was cut off when his own son slugged him, sending him crashing into the ground.

Drake stood above him, his head tilted to the side as he watched the sun at the very bottom of its descent. "Don't apologize for shit you never had control over, that sort of thing pisses me off. We do what we think is best at the time, and it's not like anybody ever knows all the consequences to their actions. If we did know that'd make life hella boring."

Masue laughed and propped himself up on his elbows, looking out to watch the sun set once more with his son. "That's true. Its amazing that at times you sound like you're a completely selfish punk idiot, and others you're as wise as your father."

Drake snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're just as much of a cocky ass as I am, you know that? I ain't wise or anything like that, I just happen to get that some things are stupid and other things aren't."

"That is wisdom, even if in a crude form. I think you'll do well, you'd make a great father I think." Drake's face fell slightly, darkening just like the sky was. He sighed and reached down and pulled his father back up to his feet.

Father and son stared at each other for several seconds, and then Drake turned around and started walking away. "Don't be an idiot; I'm not gonna live that long anyways. I'll be seeing you old man."

"No you won't Daisuke." He watched his son continue to walk away, the setting sun at his back. Drake raised his hand and gave a parting wave without ever looking back.

Drake's face was hard as steel as he walked away, walking to the future that seemed so uncertain and so frightening. "I know old man, I know. Just so you know…you were a good father."

He rounded a hill, putting him completely out of his father's view and he still kept walking. "I was a terrible son though. But old man…I won't let you down."

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When his son faded from his senses Masue turned around and looked into the night sky. "You've been waiting there for a few minutes now, why don't you show yourself."

"So, you're Masue Ihachi huh? I'm kinda surprised honestly, that a worthless shit like you is my old man." Masue sighed, not looking back as D'raka walked out of the darkness and stood just a dozen feet away.

"I guess you want my blood then? I suppose I should have been expecting this. But you won't get my life or my blood without a fight, and I won't go down easily." D'raka snorted and snapped his fingers. Masue heard the sound of something clicking into place and finally turned.

D'raka stood across from him, a black duel disk which resembled a living thing on his left arm. It looked as if it was holding his deck in place with sharp teeth, and the bulk of the duel was in fact moving, proving that it probably was alive. "Old man, I'll crush you." (DLP: 4000)

Masue raised his own left arm and a simple DD3 activated, deck already in place. "You really want to fight? Do you really think that you can beat me in a duel?" (MLP: 4000)

The dark version of Masue's son smirked and pulled the top five cards off his deck. "Dumbass, I'm only dueling you because I know I can win and just want to enjoy crushing you. I could just beat you down, but this will be more fun. So show me what you're capable of geezer!"

Masue scowled and drew once to start the duel. "I begin by summoning Celestial Magician LV3(1300/800) in attack mode!"

His monster was a youngish girl with blue hair, wearing a yellow robe with a diamond pattern to it. In her right hand was a staff with a full circle surrounding a shining silver star. "Finally I set two cards down behind it and conclude my turn."

D'raka smirked and casually raised his drawn card, revealing a ball of black flame that seemed to be shooting down. "Death Meteor deals you a thousand points of damage!"

A black ball of fire similar to the one depicted on the card shot down from the sky above and crashed down on Masue. It exploded, raining black fire down on the ground all around them. "Heh, I bet that hurt." (MLP: 3000)

A flare of power came from the middle of the flames, extinguishing them and revealing Masue. The older man was scowling and looked irritated, but still was quite intact. "Less than you think. It will take more than that to defeat me."

"Fucking duh. I wouldn't be dueling you right now if I thought I could beat you with just one Death Meteor. Keh, don't be such a moron." They faced off, Masue filled with resentment and anger, D'raka filled with hatred and amusement.

"I'll follow your lead and place two cards down to end my turn. Now…it's the first real turn for you, so you better do more than stall. I want to see some of your real power, so bring it on!" He beckoned with one hand, his lips curved up into an eager smile.

Masue drew and suddenly Celestial Magician started to glow. "During my standby phase Celestial Magician LV3 evolves into her next higher form, that of Celestial Magician LV5(2100/1700)!"

The blue haired girl grew taller and more developed, her staff changing in size to accommodate her more mature and larger form. "Once per turn Celestial Magician LV5 allows me to remove one face down magic or trap card on the opponent's field from game! Celestial Banishment!"

Celestial Magician spun her staff in a rapid circle and finished with it pointing at the card set on D'raka's right. A bolt of prismatic energy shot out of the star in her staff and roared towards the set card. "You should know better than to defend yourself with merely a few cards. The opponent can easily undo that defense and defeat you!"

D'raka smirked and pointed to the targeted card, which flipped up revealing it as having a trap border. "And you should know well enough that targeted cards for removal or destruction can still be chained, making such effects often completely pointless! So don't fucking give me a lecture you geezer!"

The prismatic energy struck the face-up trap card and dissipated. Then the trap started glowing red and the ground beneath Celestial Magician started to shake. "Speaking of which, my chained card is called Drag to Hell, and it'll do what you intended to do to it. Remove Celestial Magician from the game!"

Chains burst out of the ground and wrapped around Celestial Magician and began to drag her into the ground. She was easily pulled under, but Masue didn't seem to be that worried. "You may have defeated one, but they are far from finished. Reverse card open, Level Revolution!"

One of Masue's two set cards flipped up and the spot formerly occupied by Celestial Magician LV5 started glowing. "Level Revolution activates when an opponent's effect takes a level monster off the field. It lets me special summon a level monster of equal level to the field!"

The glowing light faded into the form of yet another Celestial Magician LV5. "With my replacement magician I'll attack you directly! Celestial Shot!"

A burst of white light shot out of the star in her staff, striking D'raka directly in the chest. The energy flickered as a spot of black flame appeared over his chest, preventing it from striking him directly. "Heh, I won't get hurt by the likes of that crap." (DLP: 1900)

"Even if it didn't hurt you physically it still damaged your life points by more than half. Now, two cards face down and that's the end of my turn." Two cards appeared, one on each side of the previous set card.

D'raka snapped a card off his deck and held it up. "You're so proud of your damned level monsters that I think I'll help you gather them with the aid of my magic card, Call of Cthulu! I choose monsters from your deck to special summon until your field is filled up, and no matter their requirements they get summoned."

Four cards flew out of Masue's deck and landed on his duel disk one by one. As they did four large monsters took shape on his field surrounding his Celestial Magician LV5. "Armed Dragon LV10(3000/2000), Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10(3400/2500), Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8(3000/1800), and last but not least Armed Dragon LV7(2800/1000)!"

The two Armed Dragons were huge monsters with spiked bodies and bladed wings, the lower level one being red and silver, while the biggest was almost completely silver. The two Horus level monsters were already silver in color, one being large and majestic with wide spread wings and the other with a sweeping crowned skull and an even bigger body. "Why would you special summon some of my best monsters to the field like that?"

"Keh, just to help me out of course. Reverse card open, Collapse of Damned Souls! When the opponent special summons a monster I get to destroy every monster on the field!" One by one the powerful monsters were blown apart, leaving Masue's field completely void of monsters.

D'raka smirked as he was suddenly surrounded by a red glow. "When a monster summoned by Call of Cthulu goes to the grave I get to draw one card and gain four hundred life points. So I'll thank you for that." (DLP: 3500)

He counted out the four cards with his fingers and then drew them off the top of his deck with one tug. He placed them amongst this other cards and fanned them out, looking over all seven. "So interesting…I can even attack you directly!"

He took one of them and slid it into one of his magic/trap zones. "Since I have a card with 'damned' in its name in the grave I can activate this trap from my hand. The trap monster known as Marauder of Damned Souls(1600/1200)!"

A rotting form with a half gone face crept out onto the field, a cracked and battered scimitar slung over one shoulder. Strangely the right half of the monster's face, the intact half, was human flesh while the other was rotted brown bone. "What is that monstrosity?"

"This? One of my damned soul trap monsters, a rare breed that can be summoned almost like normal monsters. Now, Marauder attacks your life points directly!" Marauder's intact eye lit up with delight as he raced across the field, his uneven legs clunking against the ground as he brought his scimitar up over his head ready to cut down Masue.

Before it got all the way the middle one of Masue's three face down cards flipped up, revealing a set of colored dice and a hand. "Level Tuning allows me to special summon one level monster from my grave, though it can't attack or use its effects during this turn."

The huge form of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10 rose onto the field, shrieking as it spread its wings out as wide as they could. Marauder skidded to a halt and stared up at the mighty dragon. "Don't forget the other effect of Level Tuning. It lets me draw two cards. And of course while I do that I'll also use the rule of replay to call back my attack."

He drew twice and Marauder turned and walked back to his field, looking irritated at not being able to sink its sword into supple flesh. "Well, since I can hardly attack right now I'll just throw these two new cards face down. And now it's your chance to shine geezer."

Masue drew and his body started glowing as Horus shrieked, the sound shaking both duelists. "During my standby phase I must pay a mandatory five hundred life points for Horus." (MLP: 2500)

Despite his current deficit of life points in comparison to D'raka he still didn't seem worried. He pointed to D'raka and Horus opened its mouth and began to gather energy. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10 can once per turn destroy all magic cards on your field and in your hand!"

Two burst of red light shot from Horus' mouth and struck D'raka's hand of cards. Two of the cards lit up and were then pulled by a spectral hand into his own cemetery. "Heh, if you think that's going to slow me down then you're not as bright as I thought."

"That's not all I intend to do! If I have the highest level monster on the field I can activate this trap card, Double Break! It destroys two magic or trap cards on your field, so I'll eliminate the threat of your set cards!" A duo of arrows shot out of his activated trap card, one headed for each of D'raka's sets.

"In a deck filled with trap cards I'm well prepared for any assault on such cards. In other words one of my set cards is called Creeping Death, which activates when any card on my field would be destroyed. First step, it negates the destruction!" The arrows burst into flames and crumpled into ash before concluding their trek to the traps.

D'raka chuckled as a black aura surrounded Horus, who started to jerk around wildly, screaming as it did so. "Second step is that it drains half the attack points from a monster on the opponent's field and adds those points to my life points!" (DLP: 5200)

He breathed in deep as the black aura leeched off of Horus and flowed into his duel disk. Once the darkness was gone he opened his eyes and continued. "Again, I get to thank you for giving me some much appreciated life points."

Masue didn't say a word, despite how annoyed he was at his dragon losing attack points. "Even so he's stronger than your trap monster. And also I'll bring back a familiar set, by playing Monster Reborn on Celestial Magician LV5!"

The level magician from before took shape on the field, holding her staff above her head. "Next I'll activate the magic card Level Up! This card allows me to send a level monster on my field to the grave to summon a higher level form from my deck. I'll evolve her to her second highest shape!"

Celestial Magician aged, going from a teenager to a young mature woman in her early twenties. She had lost the innocent look in her eyes and now held a look of determination and added wisdom. Her staff was now red instead of black. "This is Celestial Magician LV7(2600/2100)."

Masue grabbed the last card in his hand and slid it into his cemetery. Celestial Magician then aimed her staff at D'raka's face down card and it started to glow. "By discarding a card from my hand once per turn Celestial Magician LV7 can remove up to two magic or trap cards on the opponent's field from the game. Celestial Banishment Level Seven!"

A huge wave of prismatic energy shot from the central star in her staff and raced towards the remaining set card on D'raka's field. As it approached the set card crept up, bit by bit revealing itself. "Cold in here…isn't it?"

Masue shivered, feeling the temperature drop rapidly. The air became misty and frost developed on his two monsters' bodies. Even the prismatic energy froze over and then shattered in mid-air. "What is this?"

"This? Oh it's the effect of my trap card, Cold and Unfeeling. It removes the effects of all of the opponent's monsters, prevents them from ever attacking again, and reduces all life point damage to me for the turn to zero. But only when the stupid opponent tries to use a monster effect." Masue grimaced, realizing that D'raka had timed it perfectly.

Despite the troublesome position Masue was far from quitting. He extended his empty left hand out over one of his set cards and it revealed itself. "Open set card, Level Draw! For every two levels of one level monster on my field I can draw one card. So I'll draw five cards for Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV10!"

He easily drew the five cards from his deck and flared them open, his eyes quickly picking out the most usable card. "Your efforts are in vain you sadistic monster! Magic Purge removes all floating effects, including your damage protection!"

The mist vanished and the frost on the two level monsters shattered, setting them free to do whatever they wished. D'raka growled, his right hand balling into a fist. "Bastard…"

"Enough talk! Horus, burn his life points! Strike him directly with Divine Flame Level Ten!" Horus' jaws opened wide and bright red flames spewed out, the ground melting in the path of those flames as they scorched their way towards D'raka.

"Fool! You fell for my trap, the trap of Deception!" Masue stared in shock as D'raka's body faded away, revealing instead his Celestial Magician LV7. The blue haired woman screamed as the flames boiled her alive. (MLP: 1700)

When the flames died down D'raka reappeared, brushing dust off of his leather jacket. "Idiot, by attacking me while I had no face down cards you let me play the trap card Deception from my hand, which sacrifices a card on my field and redirects a monster's attack to another monster on the field. Thanks to that you managed to cut your own numbers down."

Masue smirked and slammed a card from his hand into his disk. "Even so, that doesn't stop me from striking you with heavy damage! Resurrection Strike special summons a monster destroyed this turn back to the field and lets it attack!"

Celestial Magician LV7 returned and aimed her staff at D'raka. "Celestial Shot Level Seven!"

A bolt of white light shot at D'raka, but was again caught by a barrier of black flames like the previous Celestial Bolt. Yet still, despite that the damage was done. "I'm surprised you managed to strike me like that…it just proves that you're as tough as I thought and worth destroying." (DLP: 2600)

"Yes, now, I place two cards face down. That empties my hand save for this last card, which I'll now play. Twilight Renewal allows me to draw until I hold five cards in my hand." D'raka raised an eyebrow as the older duelist drew five times, once again completely restoring his hand.

"Impressive, you still manage to keep your options open even after burning so much effort into hitting me with that attack. You're nobody to trifle with, even an elite duelist would be no match for you, and I can see it. Of course, I can also see that it's my turn and it'll be my chance to show you a greater amount of strength!" He laughed as he drew his card for the turn, giving him four cards in hand. As he did so Celestial Magician was destroyed.

Masue sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "During the end phase of the turn in which a monster was summoned by Resurrection Strike that monster is sent to the cemetery."

D'raka reached for one of the cards he was holding, but was caught off guard when one of Masue's two face down cards flipped up. "What the hell?"

"Instantaneous Attack allows one monster to attack immediately, so my Horus will attack your life points directly with Divine Flame Level Ten!" Again the dragon spewed out a huge wave of intense flames, and this time there was seemingly nothing in the path to stop it.

"Don't make me fucking laugh! From my hand I play the trap monster Swordsman of Damned Souls(1800/1900) in defense mode!" A mostly humanoid man holding a claymore appeared crouching in front of the flames. Like Marauder his body was half flesh and half rotted bone.

"Horus' attack continues!" The flames engulfed Swordsman. Despite how intense the heat was the Swordsman never screamed, instead he seemed to be amused about something even as he was melted into a puddle of black sludge.

D'raka raised his right hand and pointed it like a gun at Horus. "Bang."

Horus blew apart as if hit by a massive shot, but Masue couldn't see anything that could have caused it. Seeing how his opponent was confused, D'raka felt from the bottom of his heart that he should be kind and explain. "Any monster that battles Swordsman dies after damage calculation. So that's the end of that beast."

D'raka slid another card into his duel disk and another half-man, half-rotten skeleton appeared, this one clutching a tattered bow in its hands. "Archer of Damned Souls(900/1400) is a unique trap monster. See, it can't attack, but once per turn it can send the top three cards of your deck to the grave. So here we go."

The archer shot a black arrow out of its bow. When the arrow plunged it Masue's deck three cards seemingly just vanished. When they were gone the arrow faded away as well. "If a monster is sent to the grave I draw a card, and I see you lost one, so I draw."

He picked up a card and then placed two cards into his disk. "Two cards face down. And now, just like you I'll play Twilight Renewal to draw a brand new hand. And of course, just like you I'll end it there."

Masue frowned as he reached for his deck. _'He's taunting me…his own will gave him that card during his draw. Which means his dueling strength and will is strong enough that it's over powering mine. In order to do that his level as a duelist would have to be…'_

His frown deepened as he considered the implications of that incomplete thought. If it was true, then this was a far more dangerous opponent than he could ever have guessed. "My draw!"

Masue held out one of his drawn cards and suddenly Archer of Damned Souls floated to his field. "I play Soul Exchange! At a cost of my battle phase it lets me tribute one of your monsters for one of my own."

The Archer faded away as rings of light, and in its place came a large but chubby red and black dragon. It had normal wings, but its body had spikes coming out at regular intervals. Its rounded jaw seemed ready to open and spew flames at any moment. "Armed Dragon LV5(2400/1700) is my choice of monster."

He spun one of the cards in his hand around, showing a Horus breathing flames all over running peasants. "Burn you monster! I play Flames of Level, which allows me to deal half the attack of one monster on the field as damage to your life points!"

Armed Dragon LV5 opened up its wide mouth and sprayed fire out of it, completely covering D'raka in it. Despite the intensity of the flames D'raka only laughed, his body protected by that same black flame. "You should know, unless you're actually stronger than me you can't hurt me in a duel!" (DLP: 1400)

"Again I say that the damage is enough. You should actually allow yourself to be hurt, because pain shows us our limitations rather than limiting us in itself." D'raka snorted and pointed at one of his set cards, letting it reveal its face.

"Don't talk to me about pain you feeble old man, I understand it more than you ever could. In fact, my trap reflects that as it's called Research in Pain. Whenever effect damage is dealt I can trigger this card to draw three from my deck." He happily drew three times and added the new cards to his growing hand.

"I know more about pain than you think monster, and your own greed is reflected in my power to turn it back upon you! Activate magic card Greed Reflection! This allows me to draw however many cards my opponent has drawn!" Just like D'raka he drew three cards, replenishing the cards he had used to summon his Armed Dragon and damage D'raka's life points.

Masue looked over his new cards and then pressed a button on his duel disk. His field card slot opened up and he placed one of the cards into it. "This is the field where all level monsters flourish. Tower of Evolution!"

A massive tower shot up into the sky, its top long out of view. It resembled a black Leaning Tower of Pisa more than anything else, and sticking their heads out of various areas in the tower were different level monsters. "In this place all level monsters gain two hundred attack and defense points, and during my end phase I can level up a monster on my field at the cost of my next draw."

Taking another card he placed it down behind Armed Dragon, making a replacement for the Instantaneous Attack that he had used during D'raka's turn. "I'll conclude my turn there, and then evolve my monster into Armed Dragon LV7(2800/1000)!"

Armed Dragon LV5 crawled into the tower, and then from one of the higher levels the large form of the dragon flew down. It spread its bladed wings and roared, spewing flames into the air. "This duel is far from over monster, and before it ends I will teach you respect!"

D'raka snorted. "Don't make me laugh you old coot. You don't stand a chance of defeating me or even teaching me this so called respect. Let me show you one reason why, one of the mighty weapons of my deck I recently acquired on a trip to Duelist Academy…"

He placed two cards down onto his field, letting them materialized. "By sacrificing these three two trap cards along with the trap card I set last turn I can summon a beast who thrives on the power of traps. Meet my mighty legendary demon!"

Flames flashed across the sky as something huge descended through the night, splitting the clouds apart with its bulk. Masue's eyes widened as he saw just how huge the monster was, as it had to stretch hundreds of feet in length. It was a dark crimson color and very snake-like, though it did have two clawed limbs at the upper part of its body. Wide leathery wings spread out from its back and its sharp toothed jaws were framed by two pincers. "What is this? A perversion of Osiris?"

D'raka laughed as his tremendous monster roared, shaking the ground for miles. "You could say that, but no, not exactly. I'd like you to meet the legendary demon, God Flame Emperor Uria(X000/X0000)!"

Uria eyed the two set cards on Masue's field and shrieked, immediately causing one of them to flip up. It was shown as being a Mirror Force and suddenly it shattered. "Heh, outside of its cost of three traps to summon Uria's first ability is to reveal one card on the field per turn. If it's a trap it is destroyed."

"What determines its attack points? It seems to not have any at the moment." D'raka chuckled and held out his organic duel disk. Red bolts of flame shot out of his cemetery slot and into the crystal on Uria's forehead and were absorbed into the legendary demon.

"What determines its attack points? For every trap card in my cemetery it gains a thousand attack points, and since right now I have ten traps in the graveyard it has an impressive attack and defense of ten thousand points!" Uria roared again as its new stats were officially displayed, dwarfing everything else that had been played so far in the duel.

Masue took a deep breath, preparing for the oncoming attack. He could still defend himself, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about what it would take to defeat such a powerful monster. _'And I don't even know anything about this creature. Does it have any other effects?'_

"Hey, right now you seem to be thinking something like 'how am I gonna beat this monstrosity' right? Well I don't think you should worry about it, because this turn he's going to wipe you out. Uria, annihilate him with your Inferno Blaze!" A huge stream of super-heated flame shot out of its mouth, heading down towards Masue. The heat was making the air shimmer and the ground below them bubble.

Masue grimaced at feeling the oncoming power, but he had no reason to surrender and just let himself get hit. "Reverse card open, Shield of Light! This will negate your attack and increase my life points by one thousand!"

D'raka sneered and flipped one of the cards he was holding around. "I said it ends this turn and I meant it! Negative Morality drains a thousand of my life points away in order to negate any effect you've used!"

The older man felt time slow as his trap burst apart. The flames crept closer and closer, and the heat was beginning to affect him. He could see that Armed Dragon LV7 was already burning even before the attack had struck, and Masue's own clothes were started to burn at the edges. _'So this is how it ends? In fire?'_

Armed Dragon LV7 turned to ash and then the ash was burned away. The fire continued to punch into the ground, making it into molten ground and drilling deeper down into the earth. Masue felt his strength give out as the heat drove him to his hands and knees. "I'm sorry Daisuke…I couldn't defeat him." (MLP: 0)

Slowly the fire faded, but the heat from the attack remained. D'raka casually walked over the molten ground, ignoring the heat as he made his way over to his fallen 'father'. He stood over the older man and reached down, picking the older man up by his shoulder. "So that was all your strength? If that's the power you possess, then with my newly attained level there's nobody left who can oppose me."

D'raka breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of burnt flesh his Uria had caused. "Yes, the time has come. Your time has ended old man, the sands in the hourglass have run out, and now the ritual will manually shatter the second seal!"

His free hand curled into an iron fist and he threw his head back and began to laugh at the night. "Now, now I become a god!"

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As dawn began people all around the world looked up at the sky and wondered what horrors were occurring. Running like a jagged bolt of lightning across the dawn sky was a black space that seemed to be a split in the atmosphere.

As that fracture in reality grew a terrible sound fell over the Earth and none could help but edge away, fear gnawing at their very souls. It was a sound that even those unfamiliar with it would recognize. It was the wailing of the dead.

Despite not understanding, somehow many of those watching knew. A renaissance of death was coming, a holocaust unlike any the world had experienced before. Death was riding on the wind.

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Author's Notes: Wow, this turned out to be the longest chapter of this story yet, marking in at nearly twenty pages in length. And hell, that was a pretty long duel despite being only eight turns. Yep, you counted it, eight turns.

_Next Time: The sky has split open and a chill fills the air. Death begins to walk amongst mankind and the horror begins. Murders sweep the earth and a terrifying face is given to the mere concept of death. The march towards the apocalypse has begun._

_See it all in, Death Rides on Earth!_


	37. Death Rides on Earth

Author's Note: Time for some of the badder stuff.

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Death Rides on Earth**

Breath hung like a thick fog in the cold air. The sound of feet pounding against the pavement and the sound of panting breath were deafening. But the thing that she knew most of all was that she wasn't putting any distance between her and her pursuer and she was running out of stamina. _'I just have to go…a little bit farther!'_

"You're pretty slow to be honest. Chasing you isn't fun anymore." She stopped abruptly, nearly tripping in her rush to stop herself. Standing with his back to the wall was the guy who had been chasing her. His black hair hung in front of his eyes as he craned his neck to the side to look at her.

She leaned forward, hands braced on her knees as she sucked air in desperately. "What do you want?"

The man pushed away from the wall and stepped forwards, walking towards her. She saw him more clearly this time, and realized that he was much younger than she had first guessed. Not only did he look only about fifteen or sixteen, but he fairly short as well as, not much taller than five feet. "Its not about what I want, it's about what my dad wants. Hinata Donovan, right?"

Hinata chose not to answer, knowing full well that there was no way she'd convince him. Not only that but it was obvious that he was powerful, she wasn't much in the magic area but she could feel power radiating off him in waves, just in the way he held himself. "Good, didn't want to get the wrong target. My name is Kodowari Nobuki; I think you've met my father."

She jerked her head up to stare at him, and realized that he did in fact look a lot like someone she had met before. "But that's impossible! You've got to be at least fifteen years old, and your dad is…well he's only in his early twenties!"

Kodowari raised an eyebrow, his ice blue eyes coldly looking down upon her as he considered her words. "You must be mistaken. My father is an old man; he was old even when I was born. But either way, that's not important at the moment."

He stepped up and she suddenly felt an invisible force grip her, pulling her up into the air and squeezing her body. She struggled to move but found that she couldn't make it any farther. "Bastard…why are you doing this?"

Although they had previously been cold his eyes became fiery in an instant and he backhanded her, cutting her lip in the process. "Don't ever insult my parentage you insolent bitch!"

After taking a few deep breaths to calm him Kodowari reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a little carrying case. He clicked it open and pulled out a vial of dark red liquid. With practiced motions he connected the vial with a syringe and tapped the end, making sure it was clear. "Speaking of wants, I'll tell you a little bit of what dad wants. He wants to use you for Blood Level Three, the stage of a very powerful drug just below the pure form. Then, once I've given you it, I'm going to slit your throat and bleed you dry."

Hinata felt her blood run cold as he methodically inserted the syringe into her arm and injected the dark substance. Almost immediately she felt her body surging with power and her mind started to fill with images of herself ripping out Kodowari's throat with her bare hands. _'I…can't remember how to speak! What is this?'_

All coherent thought fled and instead her mind was filled with crude and graphic images of violence. She snarled, her teeth baring as she pushed against the invisible bonds that held her, desperately trying to attack Kodowari. The teen looked up at her with a frown on his face and then his hand darted out.

He had her by the throat with his left hand, and with his right he dragged a slim blade across it. He waited patiently as the blood poured from her throat, her body still thrashing in its mad attempts at freedom. Bit by bit he waited until her blood had formed a huge pool on the ground around them and her movements had stopped.

At long last he released his grip both mentally and physically, allowing her body to fall limply to the ground. She was now face first in the bloody frosted dirt, her body not moving an inch. "I'm sorry, but that's what dad wanted."

Kodowari knelt and using a single finger began to paint patterns in the puddle of blood. He painted strange archaic symbols in the thick fluid and used it to paint similar symbols on Hinata's body. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of preparation he used the blood to draw similar patterns on his forehead and the backs of his hand. "So I will begin."

He clapped his hands together as if in prayer and began to speak. The words were a mix of harsh guttural sounds and quick lilting tones, and his words drifted on the wind. Bit by bit the symbols in the blood started to glow blue.

The blue glow spread and when mixed with the blood it became a black fire that outlined each symbol. It started to consume her body, and then the marks on his hands on forehead floated off and touched the burning corpse. "Let it be done!"

A pillar of black flame erupted from the base of the ground established by the ashes of the body and flew ten feet into the air. It spun in a tight circle and then just as quickly as it had appeared it burst apart.

Kodowari stood and stepped back, making room. A tall figure stood where the pillar of black flame had previously been, it was nearly seven feet in height and terribly imposing. From toe to the top of its head it was covered in what looked like leather with bone patches as armor, and a helm fashioned from a skull with two horns sticking out of it covered the being's face.

Sheathed at the monstrosity's side was a sword, which was capped on the end by a blood ruby. Within the blood ruby Kodowari saw movement, as if something living was trapped inside. A pair of blank white eyes, cold as death, stared out at its surroundings from behind the visor of the helmet. The grill of bone that covered its mouth made a slight hissing sound as the creature took a breath. "The air is too fresh. How disappointing."

Kodowari offered a small bow of his head to the much taller being. "Greetings your Excellency. My father sends his best wishes and notes that he has fulfilled the third condition of your agreement."

The tall armored being finally seemed to acknowledge Kodowari's presence and looked down at him, its milky white eyes somehow showing exactly where they were looking without pupils. "He has, that's true. Of course there are still two more conditions he has to meet, or his petty existence is forfeit. Now…something must be done about the air."

Kodowari looked up at the taller being with a questioning look in his eyes. He felt an odd chill in his body which he vaguely recognized as something akin to fear. But it was also the feeling he got whenever he was in a graveyard. "I'm not sure if I understand your Excellency."

"There's not enough blood."

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"And the world wide cold wave continues, with several countries reaching record lows. More on this after the local news." Takuya grimaced and pressed the power button, shutting the TV off. He tossed the remote down onto the couch and looked around at his team.

"A wave of murders following a wave of kidnappings, and now a worldwide cold wave? And still, we have absolutely no sign of Drake. And still nothing from Kirani or her family, even after we contacted them. It looks like they aren't willing to supply us with any new information." He started pacing across the room, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Ryu scowled and looked up at the pacing duelist from where he lay on the couch, his forehead wrapped in bandages. "So basically we're on our own. Hell, you didn't even take into account the last twelve attacks. These freak jobs with Blood are coming after us again and again. They're getting bolder with each passing attack."

Autumn nodded but said nothing. The fact that her left arm was in a cast spoke loudly enough for her. Alice on the other hand, who seemed to be uninjured, was not quiet. "Look, we've done everything but walk straight up to that Taichi asshole and demand to know what's going on. Pegasus already said he's certain he knows where we can find him, so why aren't we going?"

Takuya rubbed the bridge of his nose and wondered how Dalin had ever put up with this girl. "Its not that simple, it never was. Taichi's a dangerous person, and there are bound to be some pretty nasty bodyguards like the one Ryu and Autumn encountered. Among us the only one who might stand a chance of beating Taichi is me, and only Ryu and I can fight these monsters. So what happens if we're hurt?"

From the corner of the room where he was leaning against a wall Nikolas snorted. "You seem to be ignoring my presence in this issue. I'm a formidable fighter on my own without any aid, but I've also got magic. I can deal with any of those freaks if they attack, and I'm sure that I can beat that loser Taichi. And did you forget something else about me?"

Blank stares met his remark. He sighed in response and held out his empty hand. He closed it, and then when he had reopened it he was holding a black wallet. "I'm the world's greatest thief. If anybody can get us in there and past the guards without issue, it's me."

Ryu looked at the wallet, then at Nikolas, then back to the wallet. Finally he slapped a hand against his thigh and jammed his hand down on his pocket. "You asshole! That's my wallet!"

The thief shrugged and tossed the wallet back to Ryu. "Don't complain, I took it ten minutes ago and there wasn't anything worth taking anyways. You've got a bunch of out of date coupons and some train passes."

With a grimace Ryu opened up the wallet and stared inside at the contents. After several seconds staring at it he snapped it shut and shot a glare up at the thief. "Jackass, you said none of it was worth anything! But I don't see anything left in it!"

Nikolas smirked and dipped his left hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coupons and train passes, and then with a flourish of his hand they were gone again. "I'm a thief even if it's not worth anything. I like to collect things from incompetent people."

Ryu narrowed his eyes, his right hand itching to lash out at the thief. "Like what exactly?"

Again Nikolas only smiled, his single eye twinkling with amusement. "I collect shoelaces."

Throwing up his arms Takuya walked in between the two duelists. "Look, this isn't getting us anywhere. Arguing is stupid, and this topic is just plain stupid as well. Ryu, the contents of your wallet are worth as much as the contents of a sofa cushion. Nikolas, you really are an asshole."

He planed a foot on the coffee table and looked around at the group. "Okay, there's just one option here that I see. I'm not really the official leader, so why not put it to a vote? All opposed?"

He and Autumn raised their hands only to be met by triumphant grins from the other three. Sighing he dropped his arm. "Fine, looks like you guys win. We'll sneak in and confront Taichi to find out what the heck's going on. Nikolas, you're in charge of the plan, so let's get started."

Nikolas rubbed his hands together, looking excited. "Good, this is where I excel. I'm going to need a few things, so here's a list…"

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In Nagoya, one of Japan's most famous cities, the shrine of Atsuta, the second most revered in the nation, was held. Deep within the Atsuta Shrine during the dead of night two security guards roamed the halls, making sure nothing was stolen. It was unlike as none of the artifacts held at the shrine were of material value, but rather of sentimental and historical importance.

Which is why the two guards were caught off guard when someone walked right up to them and looked around at the shrine, a frown on their shadowed face. "I'm looking for a specific item. I need it, and you two are going to tell me where it is."

The first guard, an old balding man, held up his flash light and aimed it at the man. The man held up a hand to block the light from shining in his eyes. "You won't steal anything from here. There's nothing here worth taking anyways."

"That's not true; you've got one of the tree imperial treasures here. I'm after that." The two guards exchanged looks. They knew what he was talking about, but even they didn't know where it was held.

"That artifact isn't available for viewing by the public, so we're not even sure where it's located. You'd best leave; we've already triggered a silent arm. The police will be arriving shortly." The man in the shadows snorted and walked closer, forcing the two guards to move backwards to stay in his way.

"Don't try and lie to me old man, you guys didn't even know I was here, you never triggered an alarm. And hell, don't worry about finding it. I can feel it calling out to me. Its powerful and it wants to be wielded." The second guard, a young man of about twenty, reached for the stun wand at his hip. The older guard didn't even bother to try.

Without any sign of preparation the intruder had planted his fist into the younger guard's gut. The guard gasped out in pain, his breath knocked from his lungs. When the intruder removed his fist the young man collapsed, desperately trying to catch his breath. "Try anything and I've got not issues with beating up an old man. Trust me; this is for the greater good."

The guard gulped and moved out of the way, allowing the man to brush past him. The man wandered for a few minutes before stopping in front of a blank wall. He pressed his hand against it and closed his eyes, as if in thought. "Yep, it's behind here. Hell if I know the mechanism to getting there so…"

Suddenly the wall exploded outwards, sending chunks of plaster flying into the hidden room. The man walked past the rubble and looked around, his eyes coming to rest on a shining glass case. At his glance the glass shattered. "Funny…I pictured it differently. Bigger."

His hand reached down and grasped it and suddenly the room was flooded with light. "This is it…you've been calling out to me haven't you…Kusanagi…"

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Kirani stared up at the sky, her lips pressed tight together at the sight of the huge scar that seemed to split the scar. And it seemed to be growing bit by bit. "Are you absolutely sure we can't tell anything to Takuya and the rest? They could use the information."

Tokuha was also looking up at the sky, but his face was blank. "I already explained that based on what you've told us their reaction would be the opposite of what ours is. If we give them the information we have most likely they'll get in our way, and as they'll help stem the tide of darkness it's useful to have them running around."

She didn't like the idea of leaving her friends high and dry like that, but Tokuha had a point. She knew them well enough to be sure that they'd react in entirely the opposite way. _'But the problem I have is…are we right? I know what the prophecies say; it's what I learned as a little girl. I've grown up knowing it, its impossible to forget. But not all prophecies are true.'_

With a sigh she tore her gaze away from the broken sky and wrapped her arms tightly around her body. The cold was getting worse, and there was no sign it would be letting up. "When will they start to show up?"

Her brother continued to stare up at the rift, but with an air of casual attention he tapped a finger against the watch on his right wrist. "Later tonight according to my calculations. Most likely they've already begun to arrive, but the numbers will be limited for the time being. This is why we have to find them quickly. Or the death toll will be catastrophic."

The stories were as fresh in her head now as they had been when she was four. The stories that told of the horrible wave of death that would sweep the Earth at the end of days. "Isn't there any way to stop them without using that method?"

Tokuha shook his head and finally looked down from the sky and at her. "I'm afraid not. Conventional methods simply won't work on this opponent. All the greatest armies of the Earth will fall if we let them try and fight alone. The family's method is the only way."

A burst of red light, like a streaking bolt of lightning, shot across the scar in the sky. Tokuha sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. He picked up the top card and held it up to see. It was Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End. "And so it begins…"

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As Autumn slid out of the air duct and onto the metal walkway Nikolas couldn't help but flash a smirk at Takuya. He leaned in and whispered so he wouldn't be overheard by anyone else. "And you doubted me. Poor fool."

Takuya rolled his eyes and tugged at the black body suit he was wearing. It felt awkward to be wearing it, and he was honestly surprised it still fit. After all the last time he had worn it was six years ago, and then he had been possessed as the Knight of Darkness. _'Wearing it again gives me a bad feeling, but Nikolas was right that it was the best thing I owned for sneaking into a building at night.'_

Everyone else was also dressed in black, though except himself and Nikolas the rest of them looked like they were burglars rather than warriors of truth and justice or some such like that. Nikolas himself was wearing a black version of his desert garb, and even his eye patch was black. _'He just seems to exude the very essence of thief. Sort of eerie actually.'_

He wondered what might have happened if Nikolas hadn't lost his parents. The man was such a talented thief that it seemed like it was his calling. "Okay, according to the building plans the man booth is straight ahead. That's where Taichi should be."

A warning went off in his mind at almost the same moment he finished speaking. Working off instinct he jumped up and backwards, landing on the railing and sliding backwards on the balls of his fist. He was just in time to avoid the fist that plunged into the mesh steel and tore it up.

The attacker lifted their head up just enough for Takuya to see a flash of ice cold blue eyes before he struck again. The young man sprang forwards, swinging his right leg up to catch Takuya's. Takuya jumped over the kick and planted his hands on the railing.

Quickly he used the rail as a springboard and pushed himself into a handspring that sent him into a flip in the air. He pulled his body to the left and spun half-way around, allowing him to land in a crouch behind his attacker. Takuya then used his crouched position to propel him forwards at a greater speed, his right fist jabbing out at the attacker's unguarded cheek.

Takuya felt the impact and saw the other man stumble backwards, but he wasn't fooled. _'He's good, he managed to move backwards just enough so that my fist struck without full impact. That blow wouldn't have done much more damage than give him a light bruise.'_

Although he stumbled the attacker managed to plant his left foot behind him and stop his backpedaling. The brief pause as the two sized each other up gave Takuya and the rest of the group a good view of the other man. He was young, probably only sixteen at most and…he looked almost exactly like Taichi. "Who are you?"

"Kodowari Nobuki. And you're Takuya Shinomori based on descriptions I've been given and your skills in the martial arts. Father might be right…I'm not sure if I can defeat you hand to hand." Takuya felt his heart skip a beat at the word father, and he knew without ever having it revealed exactly who his opponent was talking about.

_'This kid is Taichi's son? How is that possible? I know for a fact that Taichi should only be twenty-one. There's no way somebody of this age could be his kid…but I can feel that he's telling the truth.'_ Their face off was ended by a snort from a little bit behind Takuya.

Nikolas stepped forwards, one hand gliding across the metal railing to his right. "We don't have time to mess with little brats; we've come to talk to Taichi Nobuki. So step aside before you get hurt, kid!"

Kodowari shook his head and his eyes darted between the two potential opponents, and then back at Ryu, Alice, and Autumn. After quickly sizing them up he saw that only Ryu had knowledge of fighting, and that his level wouldn't be a challenge at this point. _'But I can't face both of these two at the same time, not without revealing it…'_

When Kodowari made no move to get out of the way Nikolas' eye narrowed and he gripped the railing tightly. "If that's how its going to be then so be it! I'll cut you down and move on to the big fish!"

He pulled his hand up and to Kodowari's surprise the railing came up with his hand, the metal bubbling and shifting. When it stopped bubbling the end was no longer rounded, but sharpened. It had become a crude sword. _'His powers of earth are this advanced? Maybe I can't hold back!'_

Nikolas advanced at top speed, crossing the distance between the two of them in just a few bare seconds. He stabbed forwards with the sword, knowing that the speed of thrust was the fastest available in any combat. Kodowari jerked his body slightly to the side, catching the edge of the blade against his ribs and cutting a red line on his side. "Stand aside kid or I won't have a problem cutting you down where you stand!"

Kodowari shook his head and dodged the upwards return cut by Nikolas' crude weapon. It nearly caught his chin but he was able to move backwards quick enough. "I refuse to stand aside!"

"Then you'll die!" Nikolas thrust out his free left hand towards the metal walkway they were on. The metal directly behind Kodowari cracked and bent inwards, just as Kodowari's retreat brought him to it. The teen's feet caught the break and he tripped, falling to his back.

The thief stabbed down with his improvised sword and Kodowari knew that he had to reveal it or die. "This is the end!"

There was a clang and a flash of sparks as metal met metal. Nikolas' attack had stopped, and he slowly tilted his head up to see that which was holding the pitch black sword that was between his attack and Kodowari. What he saw was a grill of bone and a skull helmet with horns, along with a pair of white eyes. "The hell?"

The towering black bone armored figure pushed Nikolas' sword upwards with enough force to shove Nikolas back a few feet. Then with practiced precision the monster sheathed its sword in a scabbard at its left hip. "That's enough. Your opponent is me."

Takuya stared at the huge armored being in front of them and his body felt completely frozen. It was impossible what he was seeing, it was purely impossible. "You…you can't be real."

The creature's white gaze moved to focus on Takuya, and somehow he knew that it was smiling beneath that bone grill. "Ah yes, Shinomori. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Only one word was coming to Takuya's mind, frozen as it was by those chilling white eyes staring into his. He didn't even notice as Kodowari stood up behind the monster. Finally it came to the tip of his tongue and he couldn't stop himself from saying it, because he knew without a doubt. "D'harim…"

"That's right, D'harim has…returned….it scares you doesn't it….Kensai?" The towering armored being didn't look backwards as an attractive woman approached them, pushing a wheelchair in front of her. Sitting on the wheelchair was the speaker, wrapped tight in bandages and none other than Taichi Nobuki.

Kodowari turned and dropped to one knee, fist pressed against his chest as he dropped his head. "I'm sorry father; I wasn't able to stop them in this state. I took the initiative to halt their progress and I was unable to."

Taichi took a shuddering breath from his oxygen mask and his piercing gaze swept right over his son and to the gathered group in front of him. "No need to worry…son. We both know…you can defeat…them with your true…power. Besides…they are…too late."

He placed a shaky bandaged hand on the black haired woman's hand behind him, and she nodded. Carefully she withdrew what looked like a remote and pressed a button on it. A grating noise filled the entire building and everyone's gaze went upwards.

The whole group stared up in shock as the roof creaked open bit by bit, revealing the night sky. It was split apart by the presence of the massive scar, but now it was different from the last time they had seen it. Red lightning bolts shot through the scar at an insane pace, almost no time between each individual bolt. Alice gulped and felt her body grow cold at the sight. "What's going on?"

D'harim tapped the top of the blood ruby on his sword and it swirled, the inside shifting around. "They are coming. Thanks to the joint efforts of myself and Nobuki here my comrades are coming. Shortly this world will fall to us, just like so many others have."

Alice gulped as she looked at the sky, unable to pull her gaze away and unwilling to even look at D'harim. "What…what do you mean? What comrades?"

"The rest of the warriors of my people, who you might call the Death Knights. We have come at long last, and we will strip this world of its living nature and convert all to the truth. We will sweep aside your form of life and replace it with our own perfected form. Death now rides upon your pathetic world." The air around them seemed to grow heavier and more oppressive as the lightning strikes continued. A light mist began to seep in from outside the building, making the room colder.

Takuya glanced at Nikolas and the others out of the corner of his eyes and then sized up the opposition. _'I don't know what secrets that Kodowari is hiding, but I can most likely still defeat him, and Nikolas probably can as well. Injured though he is, I bet Taichi is still dangerous, but not too big a threat. That woman is an unknown, but I can tell she's dangerous. But D'harim…'_

He shot another look back his teammates and wished once again that Dalin and Drake were here. _'With the only ones capable of fighting being myself, Nikolas, and Ryu…against these four opponents, hell possibly even against D'harim alone…we can't win. And I don't even know if there are other bodyguards around. This situation is bad…'_

In out and out combat they would lose if they tried to oppose this group. On this walkway they were limited in their movement as well, and two people couldn't fight at the same time. Any fight would be one on one, and with that as the set up it was an impossible situation. _'I don't know anything about the menace of the Death Knights besides what I got from D'harim while he controlled my body. It didn't go two ways, so rarely did I know much about him. But still…I know that they're strong. And most likely…D'harim isn't the strongest. The only way out of this situation is…'_

Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself, to remove the fear of D'harim that was clouding his mind. The solution to the problem seemed obvious, but it wasn't simple regardless. _'But its likely that Kai was right about what he once told me…so I can't get help from Nikolas and Alice, and those two are strong in this…'_

With his analysis finished he still saw just one conclusion. There was absolutely only one way out of this situation. Gathering up his determination he reached into the thick pouch at his side and unclipped it. Kodowari and D'harim followed his movements, ready to attack. "D'harim…I challenge you to a battle of honor! A duel in the darkness with our freedom as the price!"

There was a pause as Taichi, Evelyn, Kodowari, and all of Takuya's teammates stared at the two of them in shock and suspense. Finally a deep laugh echoed from within D'harim's helmet. "What an interesting choice…and this honor you speak of, I have it but not in the same way you do. Our moral views are at the very least diametrically opposed. But I relish a challenge, and you will be the first this time to understand suffering as best as I can teach it."

With D'harim's acceptance Takuya felt slightly more relaxed, but he knew he couldn't relax completely since this would be far from easy. He pulled out the object from his pouch, revealing the black Duel Pod that he had used when he was D'harim. As fast as he could he strapped it to his arm and then allowed it to open into the on position. "Duel!" (TLP: 4000)

An explosion of power issued forth from D'harim's body and instantly the entire walkway was suddenly filled by darkness, consuming everything else including their teammates who stood behind them. D'harim raised his arm and a duel disk of bone formed on it, deck in place. "I'll enjoy showing you the error of your ways." (DLP: 4000)

Ryu and Autumn felt their bodies growing heavy in the oppressive atmosphere of the darkness game. Ryu gritted his teeth, unable to move to help Autumn. Already their bodies were growing weak. "What…what is this level? It's so strong…"

Alice looked weak as well, but she was managing to keep herself upright by holding onto the railing. Nikolas and Takuya looked the least affected, but even they appeared to be feeling it. Nikolas gritted his teeth and bit out the answer. "It has to be at least…level seven or eight. The highest I've been in before is six, and this is significantly stronger. Abnormally strong in fact…"

D'harim chuckled as he snapped open his five cards like a war fan, ready to make his move. "Abnormally strong you say? That's because every level of a Darkness Game is exponentially harder to create and exponentially stronger than the previous. With the combination of that and my Duel Presence, this is much stronger than normal."

Takuya grimaced as he recognized that phrase. It was exactly what Kedamono had been talking about when he discussed his inability to be defeated as long as he had his rage. "So your own will is expressed onto the field as an effect? What's the effect?"

The Death Knight drew a new card with his gauntleted fingers and added it to his other cards. "My Duel Presence is no effect. Instead it simply magnifies the intensity of anything that occurs to a player during the duel. Much like the power of the Heart of Suffering, it will make you feel absolutely everything. In addition as you can feel it increases the intensity of the Darkness Game effects on the human body."

Nikolas scowled, keeping his body standing through sheer force of will. He wouldn't bow to this feeling; there wasn't a chance of it. "Takuya, you'd better not lose after you've gotten us into this! Beat this monster, or I'll kill you myself!"

On the opposite side of the field Kodowari was leaning in close to Taichi and whispering in his father's ear. "Father, are you sure we should be allowing this duel to get underway? If his Excellency does lose to Takuya then we'll be bound by the effect of a Darkness Game to allow them to go free."

"It doesn't…matter. We can't negate a…Darkness Game….and besides I was….once a Knight of…Order. D'harim was the….strongest of us so…he can't lose to someone…of this caliber. In terms of ability….D'harim is in….a class of his own." Although he had heard their words D'harim made no mention of it, and instead held up one of his six cards.

"I begin by activating Death Knight Corpse Army! For every card I discard I can generate a Death Knight Token(1200/1200), so I'll discard my entire hand." He folded up his other five cards and then inserted them into his graveyard slot. His five monster zones glowed red as five beings in light bone armor wielding swords were generated. Each one also wore a skull helmet like D'harim, though their armor was much more simplistic.

Since he had emptied his hand D'harim placed his free left hand on the hilt of his sword. "That will be all."

Takuya drew, his arm feeling weak as he did so. "D'harim, I've always dueled with my heart and soul, but for the longest time I fought with whatever warriors I could. This time though, I'll fight you with my full soul and the knights that have long rested there, waiting to be released!"

He slapped down one of the cards he was holding and a single spot on his field was covered by a bright white light. As the white light faded it revealed a monster on a white horse with silver armor coverings its flanks and head. The man itself on the horse had blonde hair hanging down his back and bright white armor with a red cross emblazoned on the front. In his right hand was a short sword, and strapped to his back was a shield that also held a red cross. "This is my soul's knight, Saint Knight-Nicholas(1000/1000)!"

D'harim looked between his army of Death Knights and the single Saint Knight that was on Takuya's field. "So it is to be a true battle of diametrically opposed views then? Death Knights against Saint Knights?"

Takuya nodded and held up his right fist which he squeezed into a fist. "That's right D'harim! Born in my soul as a direct reaction to your presence this deck is absolutely designed to be the opposite of yours! These monsters were created to oppose the Death Knights, and that's exactly what they're going to do!"

He punched forwards with his fist and Saint Knight-Nicholas pointed his short sword at D'harim. "Saint Knight-Nicholas is just the first of my opposing monsters, and he won't be the last. Together with them I'll defeat you and save my companions, and then when we're free we'll find a way to stop your comrades!"

The Death Knight fingered the blood ruby at the end of his sword as Takuya spoke. "You mean to say that you think you five can stop the tide of death that will sweep away your world?"

Takuya looked back over his shoulder at his four companions, none of whom he could consider true friends. Yet still, he knew that he was closer to them than many people were to their friends. They were his fellow soldiers in what was bound to be a war. "I don't know how, but I feel it in my heart that we're going to beat you."

D'harim's white eyes stared past Takuya's eyes and into the warrior's soul. Beneath the grill of bone D'harim began to smile. "Prove it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Not as long as the last chapter and not much of the duel, but don't worry, its going to get intense next chapter.

_Next Time: The face of Death has shown itself in the form of the Death Knight D'harim! As the first wave of the army of death is unleashed into the mortal world the battle between Takuya and D'harim heats up. Only one can win, but even victory for their side guarantees nothing. _

_See it all in, Apocalypse Please!_


	38. Apocalypse Please

Author's Note: Part two of D'harim versus Takuya!

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Apocalypse Please**

_Takuya drew, his arm feeling weak as he did so. "D'harim, I've always dueled with my heart and soul, but for the longest time I fought with whatever warriors I could. This time though, I'll fight you with my full soul and the knights that have long rested there, waiting to be released!"_

_He slapped down one of the cards he was holding and a single spot on his field was covered by a bright white light. As the white light faded it revealed a monster on a white horse with silver armor coverings its flanks and head. The man itself on the horse had blonde hair hanging down his back and bright white armor with a red cross emblazoned on the front. In his right hand was a short sword, and strapped to his back was a shield that also held a red cross. "This is my soul's knight, Saint Knight-Nicholas(1000/1000)!"_

_D'harim looked between his army of Death Knights and the single Saint Knight that was on Takuya's field. "So it is to be a true battle of diametrically opposed views then? Death Knights against Saint Knights?"_

_Takuya nodded and held up his right fist which he squeezed into a fist. "That's right D'harim! Born in my soul as a direct reaction to your presence this deck is absolutely designed to be the opposite of yours! These monsters were created to oppose the Death Knights, and that's exactly what they're going to do!"_

_He punched forwards with his fist and Saint Knight-Nicholas pointed his short sword at D'harim. "Saint Knight-Nicholas is just the first of my opposing monsters, and he won't be the last. Together with them I'll defeat you and save my companions, and then when we're free we'll find a way to stop your comrades!"_

_The Death Knight fingered the blood ruby at the end of his sword as Takuya spoke. "You mean to say that you think you five can stop the tide of death that will sweep away your world?"_

_Takuya looked back over his shoulder at his four companions, none of whom he could consider true friends. Yet still, he knew that he was closer to them than many people were to their friends. They were his fellow soldiers in what was bound to be a war. "I don't know how, but I feel it in my heart that we're going to beat you."_

_D'harim's white eyes stared past Takuya's eyes and into the warrior's soul. Beneath the grill of bone D'harim began to smile. "Prove it."_

"Don't worry D'harim; I'm going to do just that! If all monsters on the opponent's field have greater attack strength than it my Saint Knight-Nicholas can attack directly. Saint's Blade!" The blonde knight galloped forward, slipping past the five knight tokens and to D'harim's side.

It raised its short sword and swung down at D'harim's neck. The Death Knight however didn't move to avoid the swing and instead stood and waited for it. To Takuya's surprise a monster in what looked like rustic clothing made from skin appeared and was cut down by the sword instead. "Damn…"

"Apparently you have few memories of my deck, otherwise you would have remembered that when I am directly attacked I can special summon Death Knight Page(400/1400) from my deck to deflect the attack, even if my monster zones are full." With a frown Nicholas rode back over to Takuya's field.

D'harim reached for his deck and with his armored fingers he counted out two cards and then drew them. "Also, when Death Knight Page goes from the field to the cemetery I get to draw two cards. So thank you."

Takuya paused to consider the five remaining cards in his hand. His opponent essentially had an army ready to attack him and each was stronger than his own knight. _'I have to be cautious; I can't count on him negating damage against me…'_

Taking two cards, one from each side of his hand, Takuya finished up his turn. He placed one card into each of the far slots of his Duel Pod, causing them to take shape on the field. "I place two cards down on my field and end!"

D'harim drew again, raising his hand size to three cards. "Your monster is pathetically weak, and its so-called sainthood makes it vulnerable to the terrifying dark powers of the Death Knights. Death Knight Token number one, strike it down!"

The first of the skeletally armored knights ran across the field, chipped black sword swinging at Nicholas. The Saint Knight blocked the first strike, but the follow up pierced through his middle. Takuya dropped to one knee, arm wrapping around his stomach as he tried to hold back the pain. _'It's like I was the one who got gutted…this is intense…'_

His knight collapsed and remained where it previously was, however there was no change in Takuya's life points. D'harim looked up from his cards and noticed this. "Why hasn't your life points changed?"

Taking a deep breath to steady himself Takuya rose to his full height and pointed with his left arm to the card set on his farthest left. As he did so it lifted up and a shining barrier of light briefly flashed before his eyes. "The reason is my continuous trap card Spirit Barrier."

"I see, if I remember correctly that card prevents you from taking life point damage in battle as long as you have monsters in play. Is that right?" Takuya nodded, knowing full well that at the moment it was completely pointless. After all, he no longer had a monster to defend himself with.

The Death Knight raised his gauntleted right hand and pointed with a meaty finger right at Takuya. "Since you currently have no monsters your trap is useless. Death Knight Token number two will attack you directly!"

Nikolas frowned as he shot his gaze over at the far right face down card on Takuya's field. Then he looked back at the charging soldier. _'That card is remaining face down…can you really not block it? Idiot, you can't lose on the third damned turn!'_

The army knight's chipped sword stopped mere inches away from Takuya's face, deflected by a solid white sword, similar to how D'harim had been defended on his own turn. "What is this?"

Standing at Takuya's side was a knight in white armor with a red cross on the chest, only it wore chain mail rather than plate mail like Nicholas. "This? It's a Saint Knight Token(1200/1200)!"

Nikolas let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he saw that Takuya's face down card was now gone, and the warrior was safe from damage. _'Don't screw around, you almost gave me a heart attack!'_

Takuya held up a magic card with a quick-play symbol in the corner, it showed a group of shadowy figures standing across from an equal sized group of Saint Knights. "This is my quick-play magic card, Opposing Reflections. When the opponent attacks me directly with a dark type I can activate it and create Saint Knight Tokens on my field equal to the number of monsters on the opponent's field."

D'harim looked from side to side as one by one another four Saint Knights flanked Takuya, giving him an entourage of knights equal in ability to D'harim's own army. "I like your style Kensai. I could have our armies clash and destroy each other, but instead…"

He snapped his fingers and the token he had just attacked with retreated and moved back to stand amongst its comrades. "Since the number of monsters on your field has changed I'll use the right of recall to halt my attack. This is an interesting situation you've created, I must admit. Especially considering what is to come…"

"What's to come? What do you mean by that?" D'harim lifted up his left arm and pointed at the torn sky, which continued to crackle with red lightning.

"That scar in the sky is a sign of our coming, a sign of the degradation of the ancient barrier that separates my realm from yours. Already the Death Knight Army is beginning to enter this world of life. And soon the war will begin your life against our death." He let his hand drift to his side and placed it on the hilt of his sword. A mist of cold breath issued out of his bone grill.

"The term 'Death Knight' is merely a translation of the name we use. It isn't the true name of our race, just as you qualify yourselves as 'humans' and yet are actually Homo sapiens. You see, the Death Knights are just one faction of our species, composed of our most militant and fanatically religious. For over ten thousand years we have spread our might throughout the varying realms, and now at long last we have reached your world of life, our opposite." Takuya gulped at the number of years mentioned. It didn't seem possible.

"How can your race have been conquering for ten thousand years? You don't seem all that advanced, after all you use swords." More mist pumped out of the grill over D'harim's mouth, and with it came what was almost a hissing sound. Takuya was fairly sure he had annoyed the Death Knight.

"Time flows differently for us, and what you call technology we call blasphemy. Everything exists in death, so we make everything we have out of the dead. We are a society of war and death, spreading our ideals and the nature of our world to other places. Technology has never stopped us before, nor will it be of any aid against our armies now. Tell me, how many soldiers would you say the largest army of your world has?" Takuya paused to consider the question, since the military wasn't his greatest area of expertise.

"Well…China probably has the largest military force, though not necessarily strongest. I'd say they probably have twenty million soldiers active at any point in time." D'harim chuckled and tapped his thumb against the blood ruby on his sword.

"Then just as I thought, there will be no chance of your victory. For ten thousand years we have been gaining numbers and slaying those who stand in our way. Our army, the lowest of the low, not even counting higher members, totals in the billions. After all, our whole society is involved in this war. And here you humans are, divided and unable to cooperate." Alice smacked her hand against the railing all of a sudden and glared right at D'harim.

"Talk about your numbers all you want, but if you guys try too hard we'll unleash mankind's ultimate weapon and even the biggest numbers you have won't be enough!" D'harim turned to look at her, his blank white eyes beating down upon hers. She shrank back from those eyes, her body growing colder.

"You speak of nuclear weapons? Stupid little human girl, you don't know a thing about war do you? Even as a last resort weapon your nuclear weapons would do just as much damage to you as they would to us. We won't sit in one spot and wait; we'll be in your homes, in your cities. Attacking us in such a manner would obliterate hundreds of millions of human lives, and potentially your entire world." A dark rolling laugh left his lips, filling even the humans on D'harim's side with dread.

"Any human sent to launch your nuclear missiles against us in battle would be just an idiot sent on a fool's errand. You should face up to the truth, that this is a war you sacks of meat can't hope to win." Alice gulped and backed away, stopping only when Autumn and Ryu remained in her way.

Kodowari leaned in to his father's ear and whispered. "Father, I thought you wanted to show the world the bestial nature of mankind, not annihilate everyone. If the Death Knights succeed…"

Taichi glared at his son, his blue eyes growing even icier than normal. "Don't doubt me…I know what…I'm doing."

Kodowari backed away and gave his father a bow of the head. "I understand father, I accept your word."

D'harim chuckled and grabbed one of his three cards in his right hand and placed it into his bone duel disk. "End turn."

Takuya drew and as soon as he registered what he had drawn he snapped his arm up and pointed at the Death Knight tokens. His Saint Knight tokens all readied their swords, prepared to attack. "You want a two-sided massacre? Then fine, I'll give you one! Saint Knights, attack!"

He braced himself as his knights ran across the field. D'harim placed his hand on his hilt again and made a brief wave with his free right hand. "Death Knights, counter-attack."

The first handfuls of strikes were parried on each side, blades pressing against each other in futile efforts to overcome the other. Finally each warrior saw an opening and plunged their blades into the open chests of their targets. All together the group of ten warriors collapsed and Takuya fell with them, his hands and knees on the floor as he panted heavily under the pain. _'How…how do I survive…'_

The Death Knight held two fingers out in front of his cemetery slot and caught a group of cards that were pushed out. He picked them up and proceeded to shuffle them back into his deck. "When a Death Knight token is destroyed I can shuffle one card in my cemetery back into my deck."

Takuya shuddered, his body feeling weaker than it had at the start of his turn. He was shocked when he saw a droplet of blood fall from his open mouth to the metal floor beneath him. _'I have to be strong…I have to win!'_

He grabbed the railing at his side with his left arm and pulled, dragging himself to his feet bit by bit. "D'harim…you're strong, but not invincible, and the same goes for the rest of your people! The ingenuity of human beings will defeat you all!"

"Your courage is admirable, but also laughable. That pride in your own ingenuity may very well be your downfall. Don't you humans have a saying about that or something? Pride goeth before the fall?" Takuya grimaced and wiped blood from his lips, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest.

"I'll place a monster and a magic or trap card face down on the field. Then I end my turn." Now he had two cards to defend himself with, along with his continuous trap Spirit Barrier. Whether that would be enough he didn't know.

D'harim picked up his top card and added it to his hand. Then he once again reached for the top card of his deck and picked it up, only this time he held it there for a moment. "I don't know how much you remember about my deck, so I'll be kind and explain the key feature of the Death Knights."

He slowly pushed the card he had taken from the top of his deck into his graveyard. "Once per turn I can discard the top card of my deck in order to revive on Death Knight, any Death Knight. Meaning even my strongest monsters I won't have to sacrifice for, and making my monsters effectively immortal."

A dark ball of flame rose up on his field and then broke open, revealing a decrepit looking monster with dark skins as its clothing and a tight mask of bone placed over its face. "I'm going to annihilate you Kensai, and the first step is to turn your pathetic Saint Knights to the truth. That is why I have this monster."

The decrepit monster lifted its head, cold white eyes staring out from beneath its mask. It raised its right arm, holding an obsidian spear with a tip of bone towards the sky. "Death Knight Missionary(1500/1100) will assist me and show you and your monsters the true failings of this world of life!"

The Death Knight aimed its spear at the face down monster on Takuya's field and then threw it with its full strength. To Takuya's surprise it punched right through his set monster without any feeling of damage to him. _'I get it…a set monster is technically not summoned, so his Duel Presence works a lot like a field card. It only works with face-up monsters!'_

D'harim chuckled and folded his arms across his broad armored chest. "I end my turn…and that activates the effect of Missionary."

Takuya stared in shock as a black bone armored vaguely female monster appeared on D'harim's field. It even had a blood red cross on the chest. "What the….that's my Saint Knight-Hildegard(700/1200)!"

"Correction, this is now my Death Knight Hildegard. You see, Missionary special summons any monster it destroys in battle to my field during the end phase. That monster becomes a Death Knight. Your monster has been turned to the truth and joined my ranks!" Takuya gritted his teeth, realizing that he was in trouble if all his monsters were taken over by D'harim.

_'Damn…and Hildegard's effect won't work for me now.'_ He reached for his deck and drew, trying to figure out a way to take the field advantage from D'harim.

When he held up his drawn card he couldn't help but smirk. "I'm going to turn your own strategy back against you with this one card! Go continuous magic card, Canonizing Process!" A space on his field started glowing and turned into a face-up magic card showing a man kneeling before what could only be the Pope.

"Next I summon Saint Knight-Titus(1400/1300)." His monster bore the same plate mail white armor that Nicholas had been in, along with the same red cross. The primary difference was that he had long black hair tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Titus raised his white sword and pointed it at the Death Knight Hildegard, a scowl on his face at the sight of one of his corrupted fellow saints. "Titus now attacks Hildegard!"

The knight charged across the field on his steed and succeeded in decapitating Hildegard with one sweep of his blade. "Tell me, does your converted monster go to your graveyard, or mine?"

"My graveyard, as it is now a Death Knight." Takuya smirked and seemed happier than he had before. D'harim didn't like that one bit.

"Perfect, now I activate the effect of Canonizing Process! At a cost of five hundred life points I can special summon a monster I beat in battle to my field during the end phase. That monster becomes a Saint Knight, so I've undone the damage you did!" His smirk stayed on as his life points reduced to pay for the cost. (TLP: 3500)

He folded up his cards and Hildegard reappeared on his field, once again in her white armor rather than her dead black bone armor. "Saint Knight-Hildegard(700/1200) is reborn, and that marks my turn's conclusion."

D'harim drew once and then a second time. "I'll send this top card off my deck to the grave in order to activate the effect of my Death Knights. Now the one who is reborn is what I discarded last turn!"

He placed the second card he had picked up into his graveyard, and then took one from out of his grave and placed it onto his duel disk. A Death Knight in black bone armor appeared, though it was not on a horse. Instead of having a sword its fists were covered in blood blackened spike-tipped gauntlets. "Death Knight Brute(2000/300) is my choice for revival."

The brute slammed its gauntleted fists together and looked towards Takuya's two monsters. "Brute, attack and destroy his pathetic Titus!"

Brute jumped into the air and came flying back down, swinging his right arm at full force. The punch caught Titus in the jaw and snapped the knight's head in a complete circle. Takuya screamed and grabbed at his own neck, nearly toppling over. "Intense isn't it? Even without damage you're coming to understand the nature of suffering. It is all consuming; it is what drives us to become superior, to recognize the true nature of life!"

He raised his left hand and pointed at the crouching Hildegard. "Death Knight Missionary, slay Hildegard once more!"

The missionary jabbed its spear into Hildegard's gut and then wrenched it out, pulling the female knight's intestines out with the bladed end. At last Takuya did topple over, his hands barely catching the railing to prevent him from falling face first. "Are you coming to understand?"

Sweat dripped from Takuya's forehead and onto the metal beneath him as he struggled to regain focus. D'harim was certainly right that the pain was intense with or without damage. _'Have to…stop the pain…'_

Seeing that Takuya wasn't standing up yet the Death Knight sighed, mist hissing out from behind his mask. "If you won't stand, then I'll teach you a lesson in suffering the way I did with your friend Kai Kaethen. I will force you to stand with my continuous magic card, Cross of Lightning!"

A black cross appeared behind Takuya and ropes shot out from it and gripped him by the wrists and neck, pulling him up so he was strapped to the cross. Then another set of straps wrapped around his ankles, keeping him firmly in place. "No…"

"This magic card allows me to forfeit my battle phase to prevent you from drawing, and it will shock you every time that it stops you. Bit by bit the electricity will kill you and show you the true path. There is no escape." Takuya shuddered at his place on the cross, know remembering from his trapped point of view that this was how Kai had fallen to D'harim in their duel.

"No…no! Not this time, this time I won't allow it to be that way! This time I won't let you win, and I won't let you make me suffer! I won't let you hurt me or anyone else! Reverse card open!" D'harim's breath hitched slightly in surprise as the face down card on Takuya's field revealed itself and a blast of wind shot out of it, descending as a vortex over Takuya.

The cross shook and then broke apart, and Takuya dropped heavily onto his feet, stumbling for a moment before he caught himself. D'harim scowled beneath his helmet, seeing his attempt ruined. "So, your face down card had been Cyclone, is that it?"

Takuya smirked very slightly, his face gaining strength moment by moment as he recovered from the pain. "That's right D'harim; you won't be torturing me in this duel. And when I'm done with you you'll never get to torture anyone ever again!"

D'harim chuckled and folded up his hand of three cards. "We'll see about that. I end my turn, activating Missionary's effect and special summon Death Knight Hildegard(700/1200) to my field in defense mode."

One hand reached down to his deck and gripped the top card, then yanked it off at full force. Takuya found it was surprisingly satisfying to be able to draw when it had been D'harim's intent to stop him from doing so. "My turn, draw!"

He felt the card in his hand and brought it up to his face so that he could see it. Before he even saw the name he saw the image on the card and knew what he had drawn. "You and your fellow Death Knights may be coming here in an unusual manner, but we can kill you all the same. And in fact your own Death Knights are weak in that they were special summoned!"

"Weak because they were special summoned? What sort of comment is that? The special ability of my knights is a strength, not a weakness." Takuya smirked and took the last remaining card in his hand and held it pointing down in his hand and moved it towards the cemetery.

Nikolas tapped his knuckles against the metal railing and chewed his bottom lip. _'What the heck is that idiot thinking right now? I have to agree with D'harim. The fact that his monsters were special summoned is far from a liability. It doesn't make sense to call it that…'_

On the opposite end Kodowari and Evelyn looked to Taichi, who seemed to be snickering beneath his breath. He gave them no answer, as he had no intention of wasting any of his limited breath. _'Clever Kensai…clever.'_

"Let me show you why it's a weakness with a magic card that is a perfect counter for your deck! By discarding a card I fulfill its cost and can activate Special Hurricane!" He slammed his discard into the graveyard and a heavy wind picked up on the field, swirling around the three Death Knights on D'harim's field.

The winds tossed the Death Knights into the air and then proceeded to rip them completely apart, scattering pieces of armor all over the field. D'harim looked around at the parts of his fallen knights and tapped his foot heavily on the ground. "How did that happen?"

"Simple, by fulfilling its cost my Special Hurricane card can destroy all monsters on the field that have been special summoned. And since you special summoned all three of your monsters all of them were blown away!" D'harim stared at Takuya for a few minutes, and then back to laugh.

Nikolas stomped over a promptly smacked Takuya upside the head. "Idiot, pay attention to what you're doing! Sure you destroyed his monsters, but now you've got nothing left in your hand and no way to defend yourself! And he can still special summon his monsters!"

Takuya shoved Nikolas away and folded his arms. "Shut up thief, I know what I'm doing. For the cost of my magic card I discarded Shield of Honor. Until my next turn when this card goes to the grave no player has a battle phase, meaning I'm protected. And that means I'm done for the moment."

D'harim seemed to be in thought as he drew, obviously considering the situation. "Special Hurricane…a card meant to deal specifically with monsters that are special summoned. Saint Knights, monsters that are this world's holy knights the opposing force to the Death Knights…"

Without seeming to pay much attention to it he picked up the top card of his deck and placed it into his cemetery. Seconds later Death Knight Brute(2000/300) took shape again on his field. "So, your deck is really designed to face mine specifically, isn't it? This will be interesting, more than I thought."

He took one of the cards in his hand and placed it into his bone disk, and then a black whip with thorns formed at his hip. "Nightmare Lash is a continuous magic card that lets me negate damage from my Death Knights in order to force you to discard the top card of your deck. With that, I end."

Takuya drew hard off his deck and a glowing orb of light appeared above his head. "Saint Knight Hildegard, now that she's back in my grave, gets her effect. During my standby phase she'll generate one counter on the field."

He slapped his drawn card onto his duel disk and another knight in white armor with the same cross formed this one with short cut brown hair. "Saint Knight-Louis(1700/1300) is my method of attack, and he'll rip apart your Brute!"

The buzz cut knight drew his sword, which was just as white as his armor and pointed it at the Death Knight. "As long as I have a 'Saint Counter' on my field, the type of counter Hildegard generates, my Saint Knights gain five hundred attack points when in battle with a dark type. Louis attacks!"

The knight rode across the field, his horse galloping, and his blade held high. As he made it closer the counter that showed his stats began going up until it hit twenty-two hundred and his sword cleaved right through…the wrong monster. "Damn…I forgot about that."

D'harim smirked as he held up the card that Takuya had forgotten. "I see that you failed to remember my Death Knight Page(400/1400) which I was once again able to block your attack with. And of course since it went to the cemetery I can draw two cards."

The Death Knight drew twice, putting his hand up at five cards, giving him a distinct hand advantage. "Did you really think it would be that easy to gain the advantage against me, particularly since I'm still not using my full strength?"

"I didn't claim it would be easy, but I am certain I can do it! And now the effect of Louis activates since he destroyed a monster in battle. I draw until I reach a magic or trap card and then set it on my field. All other cards are shuffled back in." He picked up one card, then a second, and finally placed his third onto his duel disk and shuffled the other two back into his deck.

Since there were no cards in his hand, he was done for the time being. "Go ahead D'harim; I can handle whatever you can bring against me."

D'harim drew once and carefully added the card to his five others. "Is that so? Perhaps that is what you honestly believe, but I'll prove it to be untrue now. Activate magic card, Funeral for a Friend!"

Takuya looked around, worried as the sound of a funeral dirge filled the air. "What in the world is going on?"

His opponent's white eyes seemed to vanishing, indicating that he had closed them. "Ah yes, the sound of a funeral procession gives you mortals a heavy heart doesn't it? Yes, this is a sound you never got to hear for your friend Kai Kaethen is it?"

Takuya felt his blood boiling in his veins as he heard that name come from D'harim's lips again. "I don't want you talking about him, anything about him even to say his name. You don't deserve to say the name of any innocent, let alone a friend of mine who died trying to protect others from people like you! A friend who suffered in the past at your hands!"

D'harim tilted his head up and stared into the torn sky, sighing heavily. "This world has legends of the end of the world doesn't it? And in many of them, what is one of the signs of that end? Isn't it when the dead walk amongst the living?"

A chill ran up each of their spines, particularly Alice's spine as she backed away to get as far from D'harim as she could. Nikolas pushed past his fear and scuffed the ground with a foot. "Maybe so, and I bet you're saying that the dead that are going to walk are you Death Knights, right?"

D'harim didn't respond immediately as he seemed enraptured by the torn sky. The red lightning was coming faster than before. "As we speak more and more of my brethren walk your land…however you guess wrong. We are called 'Death Knights', but we are not alive or dead, at least not in the way you think of those terms. No, I speak of the real dead."

Takuya's right hand curled into a fist, feeling his blood pounding father. "Don't you dare…not what you're suggesting…you monster..."

"Maybe I am a monster, but I'm not entirely to blame. Perhaps you too should seek the truth by suffering enough that you might stare into the eye of truth that my god possesses. Then and only then will you understand why this is happening, that it must." At his words Alice saw an entirely different image flash through her mind, one that had already terrified her.

"Eye of truth? What…what do you mean?" She shivered as D'harim lowered his head and opened his eyes, those white pupils-less orbs staring right into her eyes. Staring past them and into the depths of her soul. She felt afraid.

"He is a magnificent monstrosity, a god of truth who raised himself from our pantheon to stand at the top to show us the true path. He gave of himself, plucked his own eye out to receive the true knowledge of the Universe. He suffered incredible torments in order to gain the knowledge that leads to eternal reward." D'harim seemed to shudder, but it didn't appear to be fear. Takuya couldn't even identify the reason, but it made him feel ill.

"Yes, and in so doing he gives us the path and contains all the truth of the Universe within the Eye of Truth, which devours all knowledge into itself so that nothing is ever out of its grasp. Only by suffering and coming to terms with suffering will we be able to gaze into that eye and see the end of the true path. That is why we have come, to follow the true path and to set the rest of you mortals on the true path." The sound of funerary music grew louder and the fog that wrapped around them grew colder with every word.

A huge black coffin lifted up out of the ground and stood in front of D'harim and to his left, the music growing louder with each passing moment. "The truth contained within my god's eye even has the power to raise the dead and give them the same life that we have. It requires great sacrifice of self, but with that ultimate knowledge anything is possible. Even the doors of the land of the dead open wide with a simple glance of that all-knowing eye!"

D'harim thrust out his left hand and the coffin's cover began to slide off bit by bit, creaking as it moved its heavy bulk away. "Watch as the power of my god's eye of truth reaches into the land of the dead and brings forth a foe that you cannot defeat! Granted his power, I will let you witness the birth of one of his newest servants!"

Finally the door creaked and slammed down to the ground. Fog poured out of it and Takuya's entire group stood stricken, unable to do anything but stare at the coffin, waiting for whatever was hidden within to emerge. "Monster…you're a monster…your god is a monster!"

The others couldn't even spare a glance at Takuya who was sputtering as one heavily armored foot stepped out of the coffin, steam rising up and away from that booted foot. "You see the truth of what my master gives, don't you Kensai?"

Behind D'harim Taichi couldn't help but laugh, although he fell into a coughing fit shortly after and had to be given his oxygen mask by Evelyn. Kodowari leaned in and asked the obvious question. "What is it father, what is it that makes you laugh? What's in that coffin?"

Taichi shook his head, still unable to breathe well enough to answer. As he tried to recover his breath a bone armored shoulder and arm moved into view, and then the end of a bone helmet, capped by one long horn on the forehead. "Father?"

Finally Evelyn removed the oxygen mask as Taichi patted her hand, indicating that he wanted it taken away. "Funeral for a Friend…is a unique magic…card. Given by D'harim's….dark god it allows….him to conquer…death."

"So what is it that's coming out of the coffin?" Taichi's blue eyes pierced into his son's and the boy jerked backwards, surprised by the intensity in his father's gaze. He had been amused just moments before, so why was he now mad?

Takuya shook his head and took two steps backwards as the rest of the new monster's body moved out away from the coffin and the mist. It was heavily covered in black bone armor, the joints wrapped in what looked like burnt flesh. Its left hand gripped a sheath made of skin, the blade itself roughly the shape of a katana within its sheath. "Please…I would rather face the apocalypse than be forced to do this. I protect the innocent…you can't make me do this!"

Taichi watched the monster slowly lift its armored head to gaze upon its foes. "It is…just an old friend."

The knight's eyes now met Takuya's, and Takuya fell to his knees under the pressure of those eyes. In a strange contrast to D'harim's white eyes this knight's eyes were different colors, one blue and the other brown. Its pale lips were just barely revealed by the fangs of bone from its helmet, but enough was visible that they saw the lips curl into a deadly smirk. "You beg for the apocalypse? I'll give you your apocalypse…Takuya."

D'harim rubbed a thumb against the ruby hilt of his sword, seeming satisfied. "Let me introduce to you the newest servant of my god. Death Knight Convert-Kai Kaethen(2500/2300)!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Pretty intense and not a huge number of turns, but now that I've revealed the creepy part of the duel we hit the major stuff and the next chapter will be duel packed like crazy.

_Next Time: Standing in front of his former comrades, now as their enemy, is Kai Kaethen. Raised from the dead by the mysterious power granted by the god of the Death Knights, this new foe will make Takuya struggle for everything he has. Faced with his opponent, Takuya must now decide if he even wants to win..._

_See it all in, Funeral for a Friend!_


	39. Funeral for a Friend

Author's Note: D'harim and Kai duke it out with Takuya!

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Funeral for a Friend**

_A huge black coffin lifted up out of the ground and stood in front of D'harim and to his left, the music growing louder with each passing moment. "The truth contained within my god's eye even has the power to raise the dead and give them the same life that we have. It requires great sacrifice of self, but with that ultimate knowledge anything is possible. Even the doors of the land of the dead open wide with a simple glance of that all-knowing eye!"_

_D'harim thrust out his left hand and the coffin's cover began to slide off bit by bit, creaking as it moved its heavy bulk away. "Watch as the power of my god's eye of truth reaches into the land of the dead and brings forth a foe that you cannot defeat! Granted his power, I will let you witness the birth of one of his newest servants!"_

_Finally the door creaked and slammed down to the ground. Fog poured out of it and Takuya's entire group stood stricken, unable to do anything but stare at the coffin, waiting for whatever was hidden within to emerge. "Monster…you're a monster…your god is a monster!"_

_The others couldn't even spare a glance at Takuya who was sputtering as one heavily armored foot stepped out of the coffin, steam rising up and away from that booted foot. "You see the truth of what my master gives, don't you Kensai?"_

_Behind D'harim Taichi couldn't help but laugh, although he fell into a coughing fit shortly after and had to be given his oxygen mask by Evelyn. Kodowari leaned in and asked the obvious question. "What is it father, what is it that makes you laugh? What's in that coffin?"_

_Taichi shook his head, still unable to breathe well enough to answer. As he tried to recover his breath a bone armored shoulder and arm moved into view, and then the end of a bone helmet, capped by one long horn on the forehead. "Father?"_

_Finally Evelyn removed the oxygen mask as Taichi patted her hand, indicating that he wanted it taken away. "Funeral for a Friend…is a unique magic…card. Given by D'harim's….dark god it allows….him to conquer…death."_

_"So what is it that's coming out of the coffin?" Taichi's blue eyes pierced into his son's and the boy jerked backwards, surprised by the intensity in his father's gaze. He had been amused just moments before, so why was he now mad?_

_Takuya shook his head and took two steps backwards as the rest of the new monster's body moved out away from the coffin and the mist. It was heavily covered in black bone armor, the joints wrapped in what looked like burnt flesh. Its left hand gripped a sheath made of skin, the blade itself roughly the shape of a katana within its sheath. "Please…I would rather face the apocalypse than be forced to do this. I protect the innocent…you can't make me do this!"_

_Taichi watched the monster slowly lift its armored head to gaze upon its foes. "It is…just an old friend."_

_The knight's eyes now met Takuya's, and Takuya fell to his knees under the pressure of those eyes. In a strange contrast to D'harim's white eyes this knight's eyes were different colors, one blue and the other brown. Its pale lips were just barely revealed by the fangs of bone from its helmet, but enough was visible that they saw the lips curl into a deadly smirk. "You beg for the apocalypse? I'll give you your apocalypse…Takuya."_

_D'harim rubbed a thumb against the ruby hilt of his sword, seeming satisfied. "Let me introduce to you the newest servant of my god. Death Knight Convert-Kai Kaethen(2500/2300)!"_

Kai let his right hand drift until it was just surrounding the hilt of his sword but not yet drawing it. "Are you prepared to die Takuya? I know you want to protect the weak and the innocent, to act like a noble samurai. But the days of the samurai are long since over, and today is your final day as well!"

His hand clamped down on the hilt and he tensed his arm to draw. He was stopped in his tracks by the strong voice of D'harim. "Stay your hand Kai.

The newly converted Death Knight's hand stopped in mid-draw and he shot a glare back at D'harim. His bi-colored eyes shook with fury. "This is my battle D'harim, not yours! Let me end him or I'll end you!"

D'harim's white eyes seemed to harden at those words, and his left hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. "You will do as you are bidden, I am your superior and I am the one who has brought you here. In this battle as well as in any other you will obey my words!"

Behind Takuya the group was beginning to wonder just what was going on. Alice glanced over at Nikolas, who seemed to be staring intently at the two Death Knights with an expression she couldn't identify. "What is it Nikolas? The whole situation is weird, but what's got your panties in a twist?"

The thief ignored her stupid insult and kept staring at the two monsters. "I know a little bit about feeling out levels of power, and I know that D'harim is very powerful. Yet the power that Kai is giving off is nearly at that level but seems…restrained."

His single eye finally came to focus on an object he at first hadn't noticed. Imbedded into the center of Kai's black bone armor was a blood red jewel similar to D'harim's on his sword. "I get it…the power of that magic card that raised him also restrains him, putting him under D'harim's control. This is certainly an interesting development, but I don't like that these Death Knights can so casually raise the dead."

Ryu finally managed to interject a comment into the conversation, while behind him Autumn shivered in fear. "I hate to interrupt, but either way it doesn't matter. What we should be worried about is the fact that right now it looks like D'harim has the duel advantage."

Finally, after nearly a minute of a stalemate face-off Kai's hand released his sword and he turned to face Takuya again. "For the moment I'll take your orders, but only for the duration of this duel. Are we understood?"

"Your opinions don't matter Kai Kaethen. All that matters is that you obey. And now, back to the duel!" He reached out to his deck and picked up a top card. He chuckled when he saw what it was and flipped it around to show Takuya as well.

Takuya stared at the card almost vacantly and read the name, ignoring the image of bodies falling out the back of a plane. "Corpse Deposit…."

"That's correct; I'm discarding this card from my deck to allow me to revive Missionary. However, when Corpse Deposit goes from hand or deck to the cemetery that player may pay up to five hundred life points in increments of one hundred to discard the top five cards of their deck to the grave as well." He tilted the card down and then shoved it into his discard slot, then proceeded to place the top five cards of his deck into the grave as well. (DLP: 3500)

Briefly D'harim nodded to Kai, and the new Death Knight slammed his fist into the ground. But instead of it punching through the steel it just seemed to warp straight into it, vanishing from sight. "I now activate one of Kai's effects, discarding a magic card from my hand to pick up a magic card in my cemetery. This effect is usable once a turn."

Kai pulled his hand up and out of the warp in the ground and his fingers now gripped a green bordered card. "Take the card D'harim, that's all you'll get from me for the time being."

D'harim graciously accepted the magic card, and then placed a card from his hand into the grave. "Now that I've gotten this card back, I suppose I should tell you what I just discarded. It was the magic card called Passing On!"

A black ray of energy shot out of his discard slot and one by one a large number of cards were pushed out of it. Takuya's eyes widened in surprise to see so many of D'harim's cards returning from the grave. "What's going on? Why are so many cards coming out of your cemetery?"

"The effect of Passing One is that when it goes to the cemetery all cards that have gone to my grave this turn are immediately returned to my hand. That means I get to pick up six cards." He laughed as he reviewed his brand new hand of eleven cards, quite satisfied by it.

D'harim took the card that Kai had handed him and held it straight out. On it was a picture of a black whirlwind that was hurling around bodies and cutting them up. "This is one of my deadlier magic cards known as Black Wind of Death. It destroys one magic or trap card on your field with no chance of negating it, and deals you five hundred damage in the process!"

Black sickles of wind danced across the field and slashed up Takuya's one face down card. Then the sickles continued and slashed three gashes onto Takuya's body. One on each shoulder and the third on his right arm. The warrior gritted his teeth but didn't cry out. "Damn…" (TLP: 3000)

When the winds died out completely D'harim made to continue his turn. "Lucky for you I cannot use Kai's effect to return this card to my continuously since once played it is automatically shuffled back into my deck."

He tucked it into the center of his deck and proceeded to shuffle it heavily before returning his attention to his move. "Next, since I still have so many cards to play, I'll activate Vision of a Future World, which lets me view the top cards of your deck until I reach a monster."

The two duelists walked into the center of their dueling area and D'harim reached out for Takuya's deck. He picked up the first card and looked at it, then the second, and the third, and finally the fourth card he turned to show Takuya. "Another Saint Knight of course. Since it was the same sub-type as a monster on your field you gain one thousand life points." (TLP: 4000)

He returned the four cards back in the proper order and then they went back to their own original positions. Scanning his remaining ten cards he took one of them and placed it at the very top of his strange duel disk where it was pulled into a slot in the flesh. "Field magic card, activate!"

The area around them shook violently and a wall of something that looked like organs erupted in a massive circle around Takuya and D'harim. The others were blocked out as the mass of flesh closed in around them, forming a huge dome. Takuya gagged, the scent terrible and filling every part of his body. "What is this godforsaken place?"

Suddenly all around them giant slits opened in the flesh, taking shape as completely white eyes, all of which seemed to be focusing on the two duelists. D'harim took a deep breath and looked around at the new arena, seeming pleased. "This is the Kingdom of the Blind, a field where even the blindest of fools can have their eyes opened."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly his Brute and his Missionary were speared from behind by tentacles of flesh from the wall. "Each turn we must offer all monsters on our field until only one remains, and we gain life points equal to half the base attack of those monsters." (DLP: 5250)

Takuya raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of it. "Also, we must discard an equal number of cards from our hand. If we cannot we lose half of our life points."

D'harim instead reached for his deck and fanned it out, then selected two cards and jammed them into his cemetery. "We can choose to substitute cards from our hand with monsters from our deck, though it costs up eight hundred life points per card." (DLP: 3650)

With a feeling of eyes on his back Takuya craned his neck backwards and saw that above his head one of the blank white eyes now had a pitch black pupil staring down at him. "I thought that the eyes were blind…"

"They are, but as I said this is the place where the blind can see the truth. Each time one of us succeeds in forfeiting our strength one of the eyes gains sight, and different effects occur to us depending on the number of eyes that can see. For instance, now that we have one eye shown the truth, the player who gave it sight gains five hundred life points each standby phase." Takuya grimaced, starting to worry. If that was the effect of just succeeding once, then he didn't want to know what would happen if more were opened.

"Fine, you've got your kingdom and your bonus life points. Are you going to do anything else?" D'harim nodded and then glanced at Kai, who returned the nod. The new Death Knight grabbed his katana and unsheathed it in a flash.

He didn't seem to move from his spot, but the Saint Knight on Takuya's field shuddered and its head fell off. Thanks to the Spirit Barrier however Takuya felt nothing from it. "Now, I set two cards face down and conclude my turn."

Takuya drew, shuddering at the feeling of that eye still watching him. "Say…what happens if I don't have any monsters above just one?"

"Then you fail to meet the requirements for Kingdom of the Blind and cannot let any of the eyes see." Takuya scowled, realizing that meant D'harim had an easy advantage since with his deck he would always be able to have additional monsters to tribute to Kingdom of the Blind.

With that disadvantage he had to capitalize on whatever he drew, and right now his card was certainly going to help him out. "Activate magic card, Continuous Energy! First I sacrifice a continuous magic or trap card on the field…"

His face-up Spirit Barrier faded away as particles of light. "Once I've done that I get to add two continuous magic cards from my deck to my hand, and these two are my choices!"

Two cards shot out of his deck and he held them up, one showing a series of green swords and the other people on their knees staring up at a holy light. "Activate continuous magic cards, Swords of Revealing Light and Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm!"

Dozens of green glowing swords slammed down over D'harim's field, freezing Kai in place. Even his eyes didn't move thanks to the power of the swords. Then the face-up magic card appeared on Takuya's field. "Swords of Revealing Light will prevent you from attacking for three turns while Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm lets me draw one additional card each draw phase."

He made a slashing gesture with his right hand and faced D'harim with his full focus. He couldn't slip up now, there was nobody to back him up and his team was counting on him. "Turn End!"

D'harim drew and then the one eye with an actual pupil blasted him with a ray of white light, covering his body with the glow. "Thanks to Kingdom of the Blind I gain five hundred life points during my standby phase." (DLP: 4150)

Once the light had faded he slid the top card of his deck into the cemetery. "Using this effect I special summon Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) to the field!"

A Death Knight identical to him save for being on a horse floated up out of the fleshy ground and raised its pitch black sword above its head. "Using its effect I will now special summon Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800) to the field from the cemetery!"

His newest Death Knight also wore similar armor to the paladin although it was thicker and had two bulky horns coming out of the top of the skull helmet. Its sword was also huge, being at least the size of a claymore. "While Death Knight Warlord is in play whenever a Death Knight destroys a monster I can deal you one hundred damage per that monster's level."

A card pushed out of his grave and he casually shuffled it into his deck. "Using the second effect of Death Knight Paladin I can shuffle one card from my cemetery or out of play pile back into my deck. I choose to return Passing On to my deck."

Since he hadn't actually played any real cards this turn he still had seven cards in his hand to work with, and Takuya was feeling worried. "I summon Death Knight Shield Soldier(800/1800) in attack mode!"

This Death Knight lacked a sword and instead its shield was bigger than normal and was tipped at the end by spikes. "Now in my first main phase I sacrifice all three of my Death Knights save for Kai according to the effect of Kingdom of the Blind!"

Lumps of flesh shot out and wrapped around their bodies then proceeded to drag them all into the organ walls where they could no longer be seen. "I gain half their total attack as life points." (DLP: 7025)

Without skipping a beat he reached for his deck and flipped through it until he found three cards which he dumped into the cemetery. "I discard these three monsters for twenty-four hundred life points in order to not discard from my hand." (DLP: 4625)

Takuya had to forcibly stop himself from flinching when D'harim snapped up another card from his hand. "I play the magic card Poisoned Rations, tributing my two face down cards and Nightmare Lash to deal you five hundred damage for each!"

The warrior felt himself growing ill as if he had eaten something that was rotten and was just now getting the after effects of it. It was an unpleasant feeling he had only had once before after eating bad oysters. "Is there a point to all this?" (TLP: 2500)

D'harim chuckled and discarded another card from his hand into the grave. "Of course there is, but first I discard the magic card Sins of Friend and Foe to the grave for Kai's effect. I pick up and reactivate Nightmare Lash."

Something about the way he had phrased his move put Takuya on edge. "Why did you bother to name the card you were discarding? It has an effect doesn't it…?"

"You are as aware as ever. But before I explain, I'd like to show you the second open eye, the one off to your left." Takuya looked to his left and saw that on the far wall there was another eye with a pupil in it, just like D'harim had said.

"Since I've succeeded in fulfilling the costs for Kingdom of the Blind again, now I get to deal my opponent three hundred life points of damage during his standby phase." Takuya glared at the eye, since in the next turn it was going to be dealing him additional points of damage that he couldn't afford.

D'harim stretched out his free right hand and Takuya looked down in surprise as his deck started glowing a deep red color. "What's going on?"

"Sins of Friend and Foe activates when it goes from my hand or deck to the grave. During my opponent's standby phase they have to draw until they reach a monster and that monster will be special summoned. It automatically attacks any monster on my field that I choose. Of course if you already have a monster in your hand that one is special summoned." Takuya blinked and then realized why D'harim seemed unworried.

_'He knows what my next monster is thanks to Vision of a Future World. My next two draws will either be magic or traps, then I'll draw again for his magic card and special summon that monster. Even with the effect of the Saint Counter it might not be a match for Kai…and if it is, what happens if Kai is destroyed? The bastard is trying to force me to destroy Kai!'_ He didn't know how he knew that, but he was absolutely certain that was D'harim's intent.

The Death Knight coughed, bringing Takuya's attention back to focus on him. Then D'harim took one of the four remaining cards in his hand and slipped it into his duel disk. "Go ahead Takuya; it's your turn to suffer."

As soon as Takuya drew he was struck by a beam of red light from the second open eye, and he felt as if his body was being coated in acid. Even though the actual life point amount of damage was minimal it still hurt terribly. _'I can't keep up like this every turn…'_ (TLP: 2200)

He looked down at the two cards he had picked up and then remembered the effect of D'harim's magic card. So he drew once and held up the card he had drawn, seeing that it was indeed a monster. "According to your magic card's effect I special summon Saint Knight-Edward(1800/1500)!"

This Saint Knight was like all the others, only with grey hair and a thick full beard that was also grey. "Again following your magic card my monster attacks; however he gains five hundred attack points because of my Saint Counter!"

Kai suddenly came to life and drew his sword, flying straight across the field to meet Edward in the middle. He jumped over Edward's sword swing and slashed his sword right through Edward's neck, spraying blood all across the ground. Then he landed beyond Edward's body and calmly sheathed his weapon. "Finally a chance to spill blood, and hurt you."

The glare that he sent at Takuya was enough to make the warrior turn away, unable to remain staring at his former friend turned monstrosity. "Humph, coward." Without another word Kai returned to D'harim's field and was frozen in place by the swords.

D'harim reached to his side and unfurled the whip. "I use the effect of Nightmare Lash to negate the damage, thus destroying the top card of your deck!"

The thorny lash slapped Takuya in the chest, drawing a long line of blood even through his uniform. Without a word in his own defense Takuya discarded the top card of his deck. "Did you have any other terrible effects to act upon me, or can I move on with my own turn?"

Gripping one of his two cards tightly Takuya held it up and it started to glow. "Magic card activates! Offering to a Saint! This magic card increases my life points by the attack of one monster on the field after it has defeated a Saint in battle. Meaning I gain Kai's attack as life points!" (TLP: 4700)

Then he took his last card and slipped it into his disk. "That finishes up my turn."

D'harim drew for his second turn under the swords and got bathed in the light of the first opened eye. "I gain five hundred life points of course." (DLP: 5125)

He snapped his fingers and the top card of his deck slid forwards, letting him easily pick it up. "I send this card to the cemetery in order to special summon my Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) to the field from the grave!"

His monster form appeared, and then was instantly followed by the familiar form of Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800) from his previous turn. "Using its effect I shuffle a card back into my deck. And then I use the effect of the card I just discarded a moment ago."

The spot next to Warlord twisted as the organs moved aside, allowing another monster to make it was out. "Death Knight General(2500/1900) is summoned because I discarded Death Knocks. And now for my normal summon."

Ignoring his general he slapped another card from his hand onto his duel disk, which formed as a Death Knight wielding a huge scythe. "Death Knight Reaper(1800/1600) is my choice. Not that he stays around long as I tribute all my monsters save Kai!" (DLP: 9750)

Following the absorption of his four monsters he reached for his deck and picked out four monsters which he also discarded. "Discarding those four monsters costs me thirty-two hundred life points." (DLP: 6550)

Up above D'harim's head a third eye grew a pupil which focused on Takuya just as the other two seemed to. "Thanks to opening the third eye I can draw one extra card each turn, much like your Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm allows you to. And with that my turn ends."

Takuya drew and braced himself for the burning feeling. Just as he had been waiting for it hit, nearly knocking him off his feet from the pain. His vision was flooded with strange sparks almost as if he had been hit by a heavy blow. _'Such pain for such little damage…'_ (TLP: 4400)

"I draw for your magic card's effect…" He grimaced as he picked up three cards before finally reaching a monster. He shuffled the other three cards into his deck and then placed his monster onto his duel disk.

"My monster is Saint Knight-Boniface(1700/300) and he attacks Kai, gaining five hundred attack points in the process!" Boniface, an old man with leathery skin, trudged across the field on his horse, only to be gutted by Kai's blade.

Immediately D'harim snapped his Nightmare Lash, striking Takuya in the thigh and drawing blood. He gritted his teeth and quickly tore off part of one of his sleeves, tying it to stop too much blood from coming out. "Okay, so I discard, but that doesn't mean I'm done. In fact, it means you're in trouble!"

D'harim blinked in surprise when Boniface's form was immediately replaced by one of the lightly armored Saint Knight Tokens(1200/1200). "What is this?"

"When Boniface is destroyed in battle I can create a Saint Knight Token, and then during this turn that monster gains the ability to attack the opponent directly. Attack my Saint Knight!" The token ran past the frozen Kai and slashed its sword across D'harim's chest, not even scratching the armor, but doing a decent amount of life point damage. (DLP: 5350)

The Death Knight pointed to his set card which began its process of flipping up. "Pain of Retribution is my trap card, which deals you damage equal to that which I have just received from battle!"

The area on D'harim's armor that had just been cut glowed for a brief moment and then fired out an arc of red light that headed for Takuya. Takuya smirked and pressed a button on his duel disk. "Open set card, Divine Wind! This lets me take whatever effect damage I am about to receive and return it to the opponent with an added five hundred points tacked on!"

A swirl of blue wind surrounded Takuya, sucking up the red energy attack and spinning it rapidly around the warrior's body. After several seconds it shot back out, this time headed towards D'harim. It hit the Death Knight in the exact same spot. "Truly impressive Takuya…you're stronger than I would have thought." (DLP: 4150)

"I'm strong than whatever you think D'harim, and I'll continue to prove it. Activate continuous magic card, Holy Magic Aura! This card equips to one player. For every light type in that player's grave they gain 100 life points each standby phase." D'harim didn't seem overly worried, since that wasn't that much life points.

"Your card is insignificant. Did you expect it to make a difference?" Takuya smirked and wagged a finger at the Death Knight.

"I'm not equipping it to me; instead I'm equipping it to you! Do you want to know why?" D'harim's only response was to glare at Takuya, waiting for an answer to Takuya's own question.

"Fine, I'll tell you. While it gives a nice bonus for every light type in the grave it also deals damage for each dark type in that player's grave. One hundred for each to be precise. And how many dark types are in your grave?" D'harim's white eyes widened imperceptibly as he realized just how much damage that was going to be.

"Very clever, especially considering if I follow the effects of Kingdom of the Blind the number of monsters in my grave will continue to increase." Takuya smirked, confident now that he had his magic card to help him out. He had no illusions that it was going to win him the duel though.

"That will do for the moment, so I set one card face down and end my turn." He took a deep breath and waited for D'harim to draw, and draw he did, gaining life points in the process thanks to his field card. (DLP: 4650)

However, even though he had just gained life points he also began to lose them, his body sizzling from the holy aura that surrounded him thanks to Takuya's card. "I have thirteen dark type monsters in my cemetery…so I take thirteen hundred damage." (DLP: 3350)

Even though his mouth couldn't be seen Takuya was certain that D'harim was scowling. "For your impudence I'll crush you into pieces! I discard the top card of my deck to revive Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) and then I shuffle once card into my deck and revive Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800)!"

The two familiar monsters formed and then blew into pieces when they were stabbed by multiple tongues of flesh from the walls around them. "I tribute them to Kingdom of the Blind and then discard these two cards from my hand as well!" (DLP: 5825)

An eye off to Takuya's right gained a pupil and started glowing. "Now thanks to the fourth one during the opponent's standby phase they must randomly discard one card from their hand. Meaning if you were top decking during your standby phase you'd lose your only card."

D'harim took one of the three cards he had left in his hand and placed it face down. "Now I end my turn, bringing a conclusion to these bothersome swords of yours! Let us truly battle from this moment out! Come and destroy your friend and acknowledge the suffering that will open your eyes!"

Takuya gripped his deck and drew two cards, biting his lip to keep from crying out when he was burned by the power of the Kingdom of the Blind. Freed from his bondage by the swords Kai sneered, his pale face looking crueler than the real Kai ever had. "How pathetic, nearly on your knees for that pathetic amount of pain? You wouldn't even deserve the title of samurai if they still existed!" (TLP: 4100)

A spectral hand reached out from his cemetery and grabbed one of the cards in his hand and then dragged it back down. Takuya took a shuddering breath and then lifted up his head to meet Kai's eyes. "Your words won't effect me…you aren't the Kai I knew. The soul is the same, but you've been perverted into a monster, while the real Kai was kind and honest and wouldn't laugh at the pain of others."

Kai snorted and reached down with his right hand to grip the hilt of his sword. "No, the 'real' Kai was a coward who didn't even understand his own reasons for fighting to save the world. He was a pathetic idiot who thought his life was bad even if it was comparatively easy. And you? You're way too similar and that's why I want to kill you! You remind too much of that simpering loser that I used to be!"

Takuya closed his eyes and breathed out between his closed lips. After a moment he opened his eyes and looked at Kai completely calm. "So that's the real reason then? I understand…you want to wipe out any traces of who you used to be, because the reminder is painful. Isn't that right?"

"Perceptive, that's what people have said about you. You really are perceptive, even I can admit that. I can't have that knowing look of yours aimed at me, acting like you understand anything of what it's like to suffer infinitely. I suffered on the brink of death outside of time and space for longer than Japan has existed! You know nothing about me anymore, so don't look at me with those eyes!" He unsheathed his katana in a blur and pointed it directly at Takuya's face.

Kai jumped forwards, his sword aimed right for Takuya's face. It smashed off of something else entirely with a loud clang. Kai looked to his right and saw that D'harim was now standing next to them, sword drawn and blocking Kai's own weapon. "Don't interfere D'harim! I have to make him stop looking at me with those eyes!"

D'harim looked directly into Kai's eyes and suddenly the ruby at the end of his sword began to shimmer with an inner light. The ruby on Kai's own body also started to become brighter and he fell to his knees clutching at it. "That's enough. This is a duel of honor, and thus you cannot kill him. Once he loses you can kill him, but until then this is still a duel and you will not act without my permission."

The glow faded on both rubies and Kai finally stood. With one last withering look at Takuya he stalked back to D'harim's field. "When he wins, I'll cut your eyes out so that they can never look at me again."

After giving Takuya a once over to make sure that Kai hadn't managed to harm him the Death Knight D'harim walked back to his first position and gestured to Takuya. "Go ahead; I believe it was time for you to follow the effect of Sins of Friend and Foe."

Takuya nodded and snapped the top card off his deck. "That's right, and I have no intentions of letting my own feelings get the better of me. Because I know exactly what the real Kai would have wanted! The past isn't to be covered up, it's to be embraced and understood, and you're running from the past! Something Kai refuses to do!"

One glance at his card told him that he needn't draw any further. "I special summon Saint Knight-John(1600/1400) in attack mode! And immediately he attacks!"

His saint was more physically attractive than any of the previous, with wavy locks of brown hair that went down to his shoulders. His sword was thin but long and looked razor sharp. Without taking an order from D'harim Kai raised his katana and blocked John's sword strike easily then pushed the sword aside. "This weakling won't stand between me and destroying those eyes!"

He stabbed into John's chest and then withdrew his weapon, blood trailing with it. Takuya clutched at his chest, feeling as if he was the one who had just been stabbed. D'harim reached for the Nightmare Lash and then stopped. "No, I won't negate the damage." (TLP: 3700)

Kai sneered and with a flick of his wrist the blood went sailing off his katana, effectively cleaning it. "That was almost too easy."

But his elation was shattered when he realized that though John stumbled backwards and was bloodied, he was not gone. "What's this madness? Why is your monster still standing?"

Takuya looked up from his hunched over position, one hand still clutching his chest. "John isn't as strong as you, but he has a special ability that makes him impossible to defeat in battle. In other words he can't be destroyed when in battle, but he can be sacrificed!"

D'harim narrowed his eyes, looking carefully at the lone card in Takuya's hand, and then he looked down at the one card he had set on his own field. "You actually intend to defeat your friend?"

Takuya shook his head and raised his right arm, palm open, above his head. Five points of light shot into it, forming a basketball sized orb of light. "No, my friend is already dead and I intend to give him a funeral by sending this monstrous fake to Hell in the way Kai would have wanted. By the sword!"

He slammed the ball of light into his duel disk and his deck adopted the light and a card shot out of Takuya's grave. "As I mentioned earlier Hildegard generates a Saint Counter while in the grave during my standby phase. I had five there, and once in the game I can sacrifice all the counters and remove Hildegard from the grave to draw cards equal to the counters I tribute!"

His deft hands drew five cards, pumping him up to six in hand. "Now, in order to give Kai the send off he deserves I need a stronger monster, and the monster I choose needs a tribute. So I sacrifice John in order to summon Saint Knight-Isaac(2300/1800)!"

The monster that appeared was far more impressive than any of the previous Saint Knights. Instead of simple white armor it had an extra layer over its chest that was crimson and had wide shoulder pads. Covering its face was a conical helmet with a wing decoration on it, and in his hand was a long straight broadsword. Kai snorted at the sight. "He's too weak without your Saint Counters to beat me."

"Maybe you're right, but once he is strong enough I'll give you a warning. For a monster that is a soul incarnated you should worry, because any monster slain by Isaac in battle is removed from the game!" Kai took an involuntary step back when Isaac shouldered its weapon and gazed imperiously at him, it looked ready to destroy him that very instant.

D'harim watched with interest as Takuya's body began to be sheathed in armor of light that coated his whole self. _'Interesting…although before he's summoned up the power within him without realizing it, this time he's consciously doing it based on his desire to defeat what he believes is a perversion of his friend's nature.'_

Takuya took a deep breath and then let his own power flow into his Saint Knight. "Its time I activate my own Duel Presence, the power I have inside me that's burning to get out! The ability of Soul Transfer, which allows me to pay life points to raise the power of my own monsters!"

Light flowed between him and Isaac and the knight's power began to shoot upwards. Kai gulped as he saw the attack counter. "How much power are you giving to that thing?"

"I'm giving it just about all I can afford to give, in other words I just gave it all but one hundred of my life points. And if you add thirty-six hundred to twenty-three hundred that means Saint Knight-Isaac(5900/1800) has more than enough attack to finish you off for good!" Now the light was gone from Takuya and completely covering Isaac, giving him his huge power boost. (TLP: 100)

Without skipping a beat Takuya flipped around one of the cards he had just drawn. "This isn't just your funeral, but this is the end of this duel! I activate Knight's Final Strike which will force battle between my knight and you, and after being destroyed your attack will be dealt as damage to D'harim!"

D'harim's eyes suddenly focused and Kai looked back at him, barely covering his fear. Kai looked almost pleading as he spoke. "Do something damn it! Total that's seventy-five more life points of damage than you've got to spare! If he succeeds he wins the whole duel!"

Isaac lifted up his sword which was now covered in pure light and braced himself. Takuya clenched his right hand into a fist and smiled. "Goodbye Kai, you were a good friend and good person. Always remember that you weren't the last candle to go out, and when yours did I was there to take your flame and keep that fire burning. I will not let others suffer like you did."

He unclenched his hand and looked at the face that was so similar to Kai's and continued to smile. In his mind's eye he could see it as Kai, never smiling but always a beacon for those around him though they might not like his methods. "Kai was a pillar for those around him, never faltering and always there. That's what I will be in his honor, a pillar for my friends and any who fight with me! So one last time, goodbye Kai Kaethen!"

Isaac swung his blade down and a torrent of pure white energy exploded from the tip and shrieked across the field at a now terrified Death Knight. Kai looked past the oncoming energy that would destroy him and met eyes with Takuya. "Those eyes…those damned eyes…"

Suddenly their surroundings were ripped apart and both duelists were slammed to their feet by a tremendous force that screamed through the building. It was in their heads, in their bodies, it was raw and unbridled power, terrible and amazing at the same time. Even the energy of Isaac's attack broke apart from the force.

With the building revealed once again Takuya saw that everyone was on their knees, save Taichi who was stuck on his wheelchair and merely breathing harder. After several seconds however the energy died down, allowing them to stand. D'harim shot a look back at Taichi, who nodded. "It appears our duel of honor has been caught short Kensai. I apologize as I would have liked to see a conclusion as much as you. Unfortunately pressing matters have come up and all of us must leave. Your friends may go as well."

The Death Knight that was Kai grimaced and looked away from Takuya then followed D'harim as the other Death Knight walked away at the heels of Taichi and his pseudo-family. Takuya reached out towards them, fury contorting his face. "Come back and don't run like a coward, there was a conclusion! We saw it, I was about to win before you started running away!"

D'harim stopped walked and looked over his shoulder at Takuya, his cold eyed glare strong enough to silence the martial artist. "Don't mistake my honor with cowardice. I follow commands I am given even if I would like to do something else. And don't assume that there was a conclusion when there wasn't, or had you forgotten my face down card?"

Takuya grimaced, as he had completely forgotten about that set card. "No…I had to finish it, I had to end it and give Kai his honorable send off. You cheated me out of that!"

The Death Knight sighed and looked away. "In all honesty I apologize. However, it has woken up at last and we must take care of matters. Take my word in this matter; do not fight it if you encounter it. Instead flee so that we may finish our battle another time. Farewell Kensai, until we meet again."

Nikolas pushed past Takuya in a fury and slammed one hand into the railing. "What the hell are you talking about? Run away from what?"

Without looking back D'harim gave his answer just as the five of them rippled and then vanished. It left D'harim's answer floating in nothingness. "The Devourer."

Takuya fell to his knees and stared at the metal beneath his feet. He barely noticed when Ryu looked out at the production facility and commented saying, "All of the bodies are gone…where did they go?"

Instead of listening to the discussion that ensued Takuya could only focus on what he saw as failure. "I'm sorry Kai, I couldn't do as I promised and destroy that monster that took your name. But I promise that next time I will succeed. Next time we meet I'll destroy it and D'harim along with it!"

He looked up at the sky that was filled by that terrible scar and made his promise. "I promise that just like you I won't be the last candle to go out. I will keep burning bright even in the coming darkness."

Though the first skirmish had been left without a conclusion, they could all tell that the war was only just beginning.

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Author's Notes: Heh, sorry pals but no conclusion to this duel. Still, it was fun wasn't it?

_Next Time: The raw power that ripped apart Takuya and D'harim's duel is a mystery. Reports of the first encounters with Death Knights begin to appear, but all of that news is cast aside as inconsequential when news stops coming from Cairo and reports indicate that against all logic the city is no longer there. It is a power unlike anything the world has ever seen and it will never stop. The world trembles in its footsteps…_

_See it all in, Devourer of Millions; Am-heh Approaches!_


	40. Devourer of Millions Amheh Approaches

Author's Note: Roar! This is officially now the same length (minus epilogue) as the very first story in the trilogy. Woot!

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Devourer of Millions; Am-heh Approaches!**

"Don't let up! Keep firing!" The rat-tat-tat of gunfire echoed through the streets of Chicago as the city's division of police along with a contingent of the National Guard battled the mysterious foe that had in the past week begun appearing throughout the world. Word of numerous similar attacks was all the rage in the news.

Despite the efforts of the men defending Chicago so far they weren't performing very well. A long line of tall humanoids in dark bone-like armor advanced on them, huge spiked shields held out in front of them. Bullets clinked against the shields and did essentially no damage, and few bullets slipped through the defense line as the shields were overlapped.

Standing in lines directly behind the line of shield soldiers were lines of various different soldiers with medieval style weaponry. At the back however was what was the current threat to the police, a line of archers sending black arrows into the police lines. The arrows flew with such force that they punched through Kevlar and even riot shields, tearing up flesh when it made contact.

The National Guard sergeant who had told the men to continue firing felt his heart growing colder bit by bit as he saw one after another of his men fall to those deadly arrows. Yet those arrows weren't what worried him the most. What worried him the most was the mysterious power of the armored warriors standing behind one of every five shield soldiers.

He had yet to get a good look at them, but he knew that when they swung their swords the air would ripple and men in the direction of his swing would be sent flying as if swept aside by a huge hand. The three tanks he had been given command of had been thrown into buildings early on by those strange warriors.

The situation was not completely hopeless as he was certain that they could kill whatever these monsters were. While the tanks had still been there the powerful shells of the Abram's cannon had ripped open large holes in the attacker's line. However, those holes were filled quickly by other soldiers.

Keeping his face controlled for the sake of his men was difficult, but necessary. And it let him appear fierce and determined as he placed the butt of his AR-10 against his shoulder and took aim at the helmet that just barely appeared above one of the soldier's shields. _'One of those magic freaks too…'_

With great care he squeezed off a triple burst from the rifle and had to hold himself back from shouting in elation when he saw his target's head snap back and the helmet that had covered it go spinning off. _'Take that you pale bastard!'_

His joy faded when the head craned back up to look in his general direction, giving him a clear view of the creature's face. It was pale white and had jagged marks all over its face as if he had been scarred severely. Blank white eyes watched him and he felt his body growing colder. Where he had hit there was a bloody mark, just a rough entry point, but that entry point was already nearly closed. _'Impossible! It regenerates from damage?'_

So focused was he on that terrible gaze that he failed to notice the Death Knight swing its sword down. The next thing he knew was that an invisible force had picked him up and sent him tumbling through the air. He vaguely noticed something large rushing towards him, and then there was an intense sharp pain.

The next day Sergeant Thomas Broderick was reported KIA.

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Ryu gritted his teeth and drew, feeling a bit of blood seeping through his fingers from the wound on his upper arm. "I'm hardly going to be defeated by the likes of you trash! Polymerization!"

He slammed the card into his duel disk and the three monsters on his field were sucked into the vortex along with two from his hand, nearly emptying it. What came out of the vortex was a huge dragon with five different heads, each one glaring down at his opponents. "Five-God Dragon(5000/5000) should be enough to finish you off. Annihilate them!"

His two opponents, one a young sixteen year old boy with baggy brown clothing and a bandanna laughed, his eyes wild with the power of second level Blood rushing through his veins. "I'll defend my opponent's life points by activating my trap card, Massive Attack!"

The streams of energy that were building up in the god dragon's mouths suddenly detonated, engulfing the huge dragon in a ball of fire and hurling Ryu ten feet backwards into a brick wall. He fell to the ground, his back aching from the impact. The brown clothed youth, who had called himself Tyler, rubbing his thumb against the edge of his nose and grinned. "Massive Attack works when the opponent attacks with a monster of three thousand or more points. That monster is destroyed and the opponent immediately takes a thousand damage." (RLP: 700)

Ryu shuddered and staggered to his feet. Once he had his balance he took one of the two last cards in his hand and slipped it into his disk. "One card face down, and turn end!"

Opponent number two, another ragged looking teen this one named Dennis, picked up the top card of his deck. At the current moment he was now the only player with a monster in play, while his partner still had one last set card and Ryu's partner had one as well. "I switch Submarineroid(800/1800) into attack mode, and then I'll summon Cycroid(800/1000)!"

His first monster was a submarine with a face and arms, which it uncrossed and gazed over at Ryu and Takuya, his partner. The second was a similar monster with odd eyes and nose, but it was a small bicycle. "Cycroid is going to attack Ryu's life points directly!"

Takuya snapped his hand out and his face down card picked itself up. "Activate trap card, Release of a Warrior's Burden! When attacked directly this card lets me negate the attack and remove all monsters in my grave from play, gaining five hundred for each."

His graveyard ejected several cards and he showed them off one after another, showing that he had six. He placed them in his back pocket and watched as Ryu's body was engulfed in a green glow. "I give the bonus to Ryu." (RLP: 3700)

Dennis grimaced and pointed at his second monster. "That's just fine; Submarineroid is now going to make a direct attack on your life points Takuya!"

Takuya was hit by a fake torpedo from the little submarine and stumbled backwards under the force. However, when he picked his head up he appeared satisfied. "You made a mistake just there and fell into our trap!" (TLP: 2100)

As soon as the damage was finished tallying up Ryu snapped his fingers, letting his trap card flip up. "Resurrection of the Dragon activates when a player receives direct damage from a non-dragon. That player gets to special summon a dragon from any other player's cemetery."

Tyler and Dennis exchanged worried glances when Takuya and Ryu met each other half-way and Ryu gave his partner a card from his grave. Takuya walked back and slapped the card onto his duel pod. "I special summon Five-God Dragon(5000/5000)!"

Tyler stared at the huge dragon and then began to shout. "What the hell? You just cheated! I know for sure that Five-God Dragon can only be summoned through a fusion of five dragons. You couldn't have summoned him!"

"Normally that's true, but Resurrection of the Dragon ignores any summoning requirements and just lets that player bring out the dragon. Making it damned useful in a dragon deck." Tyler gulped and backed down, knowing he wasn't going to win that argument.

Dennis glanced frantically down at his hand and placed one of his cards into his disk, letting it appear face down in front of him. "I set that card then use Submarineroid's effect to switch him into defense. End turn!"

Takuya drew and held up one of the cards in his hand. "Activate magic card, Equal Rites! I can now special summon any monster from my deck with at least two levels less than a monster on my field. Since Five-God Dragon is a level twelve that gives me access to all my monsters!"

A new card shot out of his deck and into his hand, which he placed onto his duel disk in the same motion as he grabbed it. A space next to the dragon on his field shimmered and a samurai in a brown kimono-eske outfit took shape. "Knight of the Orient-Earth Soul(2500/3000)! This monster lacks any ability to attack, but he has four techniques he can use any of which once per turn."

The samurai grasped his katana in one hand, the other holding the sheath steady and prepared to draw it. "I'll use his second ability to destroy all face-down cards on the field!"

In a flash the samurai drew his katana and swept it across the ground at his feet. The strike sent a spray of rock bullets flying and they peppered his opponent's set cards, blowing them apart. The two duelists gulped, one of them realizing he was about to lose. "You think I'm going to let either of you have another turn? Wrong, this duel ends now!"

Five-God Dragon opened up its mouth and fired a huge spray of energy that rolled straight over Cycroid and then over Dennis as well, burning him to ash and his life points along with him. "Now that Five-God Dragon has attacked I can activate my quick-play magic card, Surprise Attack from the Darkness! Meaning during my end phase Five-God Dragon gets another attack!"

Again the dragon opened up its various mouths and unleashed a hellish storm of elemental energy. Tyler screamed as he was sucked up by the wave of death, but was quickly silenced by the shear power of the blast. "And that's the end." (TLP: 0, DLP: 0)

Ryu and Takuya shut their duel disks down as the Darkness Game ended, setting them free. They both breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down right where they were to rest. "If the attacks keep up at this pace we won't be able to last."

Takuya nodded in agreement, still feeling the bruises on his ribs from the past duels he had been in. His left thigh was also wrapped tightly by white cloth underneath his pants in order to prevent bleeding. "You're right; so far we haven't been able to figure out any way to stop the attacks, and the one other Death Knight we encountered…"

Ryu shuddered, still unable to forget that event from three days ago. The Death Knight had been patrolling and discovered their group and proceeded to attack them. It had no interest in dueling and had nearly killed them. In the end Nikolas had burned up a lot of his power to bring an entire building down on top of the Death Knight. "They hardly seem to take damage; it took completely destroying him to stop him. We need more knowledge about the situation, but nobody has been able to give us anything new. I really wish we had Dalin right about now…"

Although he didn't reply, Takuya couldn't help but agree. Without any further information it was almost impossible to proceed, and at the moment they had no source of information. _'At this rate, we're all going to die and accomplish nothing. But despite the power of the Death Knights, that's not what has me most worried. It's that thing we felt before…'_

He had felt it in the distance, a terrible raw power that didn't seem to slow down even though it was slightly more muted than when he had first felt it. A power so strong that even D'harim hadn't wanted to face it. _'If what Alice said is right, then this thing is Am-heh, devourer of millions, a monstrosity that even entire armies in Egypt couldn't kill. How does anyone stop a thing like that?'_

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A loud sigh echoed throughout the expansive room. The originator of the sigh was a beautiful russet-haired teenager wearing tight black leather pants and a form fitting pink t-shirt who was draped over a giant cushion. She had one hand on her bare midriff and the other on the back of the cushion. She looked supremely satisfied. "This is the life. Those Romans knew their stuff."

She was currently surrounded by men and women who were barely clothed, the men were fanning her with giant leaves and the women were offering her little bits of food such as grapes and strawberries. "Ooo, the strawberries look good. Chocolate please."

The woman she addressed, an attractive brunette wearing what appeared to be a toga that barely fit took one of the strawberries from her bowl and dipped it in another bowl filled with chocolate held by a different woman. Then she held it up and offered it, letting Ihami take a slow bite from it. The immortal teenager sigh again as she swallowed. "Absolutely delicious. It's wonderful to have a cult that worships you as the Goddess of Pleasure and will do anything for you."

She almost let a frown slip when she felt a tremendous pulse of power from far away, the same raw energy she had been feeling for a while. "Damned Am-heh, that monster is going to ruin my fun if it keeps that up. I certainly hope someone kills it."

Feeling a bit of her happiness fading she snapped her fingers and a muscular blonde man wearing nothing but a loincloth came running up and bowed at her feet. "Joe, or whatever your name is, bring me someone else from the city, someone important. A priest or nun if possible."

The man dipped his head lower and then rushed out of the room, eager to obey her. Ihami rolled her eyes and plucked a grape from one of the upheld bowls and popped it into her mouth. "Honestly, Rome is a wonderful city but filled with so many uptight people. Bit by bit they're converting to worshipping me, which I admit has its perk. I can see why D'raka was so interested in achieving godhood. Then again, I'm revered as a goddess while still only being the equivalent of a demi-god. Guess he just wants the power."

"And what is it that you want Ihami?" The beautiful immortal stared at the entrance in surprise as a figure framed by the outside light strolled in. He was relatively tall and his body was covered by a buttoned up black leather duster. She knew him instantly.

"Whatever happened to that sleeveless trench coat of yours? It looked wonderful on you, not to say that the duster look doesn't do it. Especially with that lovely hair of yours Drake." Drake's face didn't shift and his eyes remained locked on her. His aforementioned wild hair was whipped about by a gust of wind from the outside, and he looked deadly even with his hands casually in his pockets.

"It got shredded during some sparring matches, so I went out and bought this new one. Is this what you're after now that you're free Ihami? Just lounging around and stereotypically being fanned by leaves and fed grapes?" Ihami smiled brightly as Drake continued walking towards her, only stopping about five feet away from her cushion.

"My life has been about only myself for a long time and I see no reason to change that. I want to live forever and experience all the pleasures of life, every last one possible. Is that why you came to visit, or were you interested in something a bit more…explicit?" Drake snorted and pulled his right hand out of his pocket to run through his hair.

"Don't hit on me, its creepy enough as it is how much you look like my sister. And I don't care how things were in Egypt or the fact that you ain't my actual sister, it still doesn't sit well with me." She just giggled and waved away her servants, who fled and crouched in far corners, keeping their heads down.

"Still, you didn't answer my question. Why did you come to see me? Obviously since you aren't here for more fun reasons its something a little less interesting. What is it that drew you here?" Drake tilted his head up a bit as if thinking about it, and then with a grin he gave her his answer.

"I came to kill you." As soon as he finished speaking the hand in his pocket moved and one of the buttons on his duster popped open as a red-wrapped hilt came into view. Drake's other hand dropped to it and he crossed the distance between them in the space of time it took him to draw.

The straight blade, not much longer than two feet and plain shiny steel, slashed right through Ihami. Drake grimaced when her body shattered like glass, all of the pieces tinkling down onto the stone floor or over the cushion. "Damn, that bitch must have realized when I showed up why I was here and replaced herself with a false form. Shit, that was a good chance to save myself trouble as well."

His violet eyes narrowed as he felt a presence behind him. He turned, blade held diagonally across his chest in readiness. It came as a surprise to see what appeared to be Dalin standing a dozen feet away from him. "That shape is meaningless when I can feel that your power isn't anywhere near at Dalin's level. Plus your power seems so damned fake I'd be depressed if I couldn't figure out you weren't him."

The Dalin copy raised his left arm and it melted, and then reformed as a flesh-colored duel disk, deck already in place. "Duel!"

Drake eyed the duel disk on the copy's arm and then he snorted and slung the short sword over his shoulder. "Don't kid around, a copy like you could never beat me in a duel and even with your limited brain you know that. So I ain't gonna sit around and be delayed so it gets harder to find that bitch Ihami."

He rolled his eyes when a dome of darkness formed around them, entrapping them in a Darkness Game. The Dalin copy just kept staring at him and then spoke again. "Duel. You have no choice in the matter."

Drake sighed and tightened his grip on the sword. "Never bluff when you don't have any cards to back it up with you dumbass. In this situation the one holding all the cards is me!"

Smirking he raised his sword up above his head, the copy's eyes moving to follow it, particularly as it started to shimmer. "As weak as you are in comparison to me, this Darkness Game is nothing. And Kusanagi right here has the power to split the heavens with a single stroke, so this measly level of darkness will be obliterated when I swing him down!"

The sword came down in a swift arc and the globe of darkness shuddered and then burst apart like a pricked bubble, leaving them standing in the same room again. The copy looked lost as it tried to come up with a new plan, but Drake had no intention of letting it. "I told you, I've got you trumped, so get the fuck out of my way!"

He ran forwards and swung the ancient sword straight through the copy's middle. It fell into two halves and then melted into a puddle of a thick black substance much like oil. Drake took one final glance at it and then sheathed his blade. "Ihami, you aren't getting away from me!"

Light crackled around his body and then there was a loud popping noise. The servants looked up from their places and found that the room was now empty, no trace that the leather wearing punk had ever been there.

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"You aren't going and that's final!" Autumn and Alice exchanged worried glances as the heated argument between Takuya and Nikolas continued to grow hotter. They appeared to be just inches shy of coming to blows over it.

Nikolas slammed his left hand into the closest wall, looking positively furious as he spoke. "Takuya, Egypt is my home; it has been for half my life! And now the news is saying that Cairo, the place I lived, is just gone and you expect me not to go?"

"That's exactly what I expect! If the whole city is gone then something terrible happened. I sympathize for sure, but I'm far from stupid. However it happened it happened and we can't change that. It also means that if a whole city is gone we can't deal with whatever caused it. So no splitting up and no going to Cairo!" His volume continued to raise throughout the entire tirade, his body moving closer to Nikolas', his fists clenched in fury.

Nikolas suddenly changed tracks and pulled his hand away from the wall, sneering at Takuya. "I see how it is. You're remembering that Death Knight incident and thinking that if I go then if you idiots encounter another one it's the end for you, so I have to stick around to protect your sorry selves. Well I signed up to stop the world from blowing up, not babysitting."

To the thief's surprise Takuya was on him in an instant, grabbing him by the shirt collar and twisted him around to slam him into the wall. "Listen to me! This is about solidarity, if you go there's a good chance you could die and we can't afford to have that happen! Don't you understand that?"

The thief's body burst into sand and then reformed a few feet away, right in front of the door. "Shut the hell up. Of course I understand that I'm risking my life to see what's happened to Cairo, but news hasn't come out of there in the past two days since the announcement came. The Egyptian military is going in later today, so if I leave now I can see what's happening and maybe even offer some aid. If things get sour I can just as easily leave."

He reached for the door but was stopped when Takuya placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. "If you go to Cairo you will die."

Nikolas shrugged him off and pushed open the door. Just before exiting he threw back one final parting comment. "If I stay here I'll die anyways. Or hadn't you already figured that out?"

Takuya stared at his parting back and then slammed a fist into the wall, looking frustrated. "If you get in trouble we aren't coming for you. You're in this on your own."

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Nikolas stared at the ruin and was unable to look away. It wasn't that Cairo had vanished like the news had made it sound. No, instead it was just that Cairo had been completely blown away. Every single building was flattened and the city looked like a garbage dump. From where he was he could see bodies as well strewn around. But a lot of the bodies he saw weren't whole. "What the hell could have done this?"

His ears caught a thrumming sound and he finally managed to pull his gaze away from the wreckage. Approaching from the south was a convoy of helicopters, and below them was a line of tanks and jeeps loaded with troops. "So the army finally shows its head. What do they expect to find? And why come in such large numbers?"

The tanks stopped at the edge of the city, the copters hovering above them. Nikolas watched as one of the tanks fired the sound booming throughout the entire area, loud enough that it hurt his ears despite the distance. "What the fuck are they firing at?"

Its shell exploded against a ruined building, further demolishing it but otherwise accomplishing nothing. Nikolas was about to go in closer to see if he could get a better view when suddenly he found himself nearly flattened into the ground by a tremendous pressure as if the air had suddenly grown three or four times heavier. "Fuck! It's the same power from that previous night with D'harim!"

With violent force a space nearby where the shell had struck was ripped completely apart, all the wreckage sent flying away. From his spot in the distance Nikolas could vaguely make out a humanoid figure standing in that spot and it was facing the convoy. "Is that it, the source of the power? Did it destroy Cairo?"

The same tank from before opened fire and its second shell of the attack exploded into a fireball just a dozen feet away from the humanoid. Knowing explosive force as well as he did Nikolas was shocked to discover that the man down there didn't even budge. But the shock was nowhere near as great as what he felt when he saw the man swing one arm as if trying to swat a fly. As soon as he swung his arm the ruins in the path of the swing were picked up as if by an invisible force and sent tumbling along.

The wreckage crashed into the first few tanks and blew them backwards, tipping them end over end. "Holy shit! One swing did all that? It didn't even touch the tanks!"

Like a shot the man went flying right into the air seconds after his first attack. The copter pilots panicked and a hail of bullets went flying into the man's path. From his distant view Nikolas couldn't tell if any of the bullets hit, but by the sheer volume of them he couldn't believe that none of them had. _'It's not even flinching!'_

The man struck the lead helicopter with the full force of his jump and ripped right through the metal. He landed on top of the ruined helicopter and grabbed the rotor on top and yanked it off. Then with monstrous force he sent it flying like a boomerang, letting it slice easily through another helicopter. "This…this isn't possible!"

The monster dropped from the sky and landed on top of one of the tanks. It hopped off and then bodily picked up the tank and hurled it at another tank, smashing both of them. Then it made another of its enormously powerful swings and the sheer force of it picked up another handful of tanks and jeeps and sent them tumbling end over end. Nikolas found himself backing away in horror.

Soldiers began pouring out of the jeeps and opening fire onto the monster, but it barely seemed to notice the bullets that peppered its body. All it did was continue to plow through them, its terrible swings destroying men and machinery alike. It even swept helicopters out of the air without touching them through sheer power of its swings. "That level of strength…it shouldn't be physically possible! This…this must be the monster that Alice spoke of that was formerly imprisoned…the source of Blood!"

Nikolas realized all of a sudden that the dreadful noise of the battle was now replaced by silence, a nearly deafening silence at that. There was no movement from the battle save for crackling fires, and the only thing left standing was that unstoppable juggernaut. "Am-heh, Devourer of Millions!"

He was even more surprised when he suddenly found that he couldn't see the beast. "But…it was there just a second ago! I couldn't have even had time to blink before it was gone!"

His heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to find where it had gone, but he needn't have bothered. It slammed down on the crest just a few dozen feet away from him just after his search had begun. "Oh god no…"

Now that it was close up he was able to get a good look at it. It stood at least nine feet in height and was rippling with muscle, though its pale white skin was patterned with dust and random patches of blood probably splattered on by victims. It wore nothing but dirty baggy pants that might at one point have been white but were now a mix of grey, black, and red. But what made him most afraid was its face.

Its head was cropped by a filthy mess of white blonde hair that hung to its back as a wild mane. It too was patched with blood and filth, giving the monster an even wilder look. Its eyes were similarly wild, being a deep emerald green shade but with irises shaped like a cat's. "Impossible…you can't possibly be…"

The face that horrified him so much, despite the enraged look it held and the dirt and blood that covered it…was a close match to the man he despised the monster. Its features were virtually identical to Dalin's. "Dalin…"

Those horrible green eyes bore down on him and it snarled, its teeth covered by a froth of blood. "SUMATIN!"

Nikolas gulped and tried to turn and run, but his body wouldn't cooperate. His legs were locked by fear and his brain filled with that and confusion. _'It just said…Sumatin? This beast, this monster Am-heh…it knows Dalin?'_

Am-heh glared down at him and bit out a handful of words that sounded Egyptian to Nikolas, but the actual words weren't the same as the ones he knew. _'This tongue must be an ancient form of the Egyptian I know. What's it saying?'_

When Nikolas didn't respond Am-heh snarled, blood spittle flying from its mouth. Am-heh swung one huge arm down and a wide swath of ground just to Nikolas' left was torn apart. Then it roared out another series of words that Nikolas didn't understand. "I…I can't understand you. Please…I just want to live!"

Never in his life had Nikolas been more afraid. This monster was the worst thing he had ever seen, it was as if all Dalin himself had been taken a transformed into a horrible demonic being capable of immense destructive power. _'How ironic…I'm going to die at the hands of a monster that looks just like the man I hate…'_

Am-heh reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him up into the air so that they were level. "Sumatin…"

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A heavy object thudded onto the ground, water splashing around it. A pale hand reached down and ran across the black surface, just barely touching it. "How very interesting…impressively done."

Blue fire crackled from those pale fingertips and raced across the full length of the metallic object. It burned brightly and then the fire faded away. Again the hand reached down and grabbed at the object, then pulled, swinging it open. The burned away top crashed to the ground with a heavy clang.

That pale hand reached down, blue fire engulfing it as it touched what was within the now open metal case. It leapt over the surface of the precious cargo and incinerated the target of its ire. Black ink was melted by the power, and seconds later a thick hand clapped down at the rim.

A large body followed the hand and water trickled off of it, its hair matted over its face. It looked up to see a pale dead-looking woman with dark eyes and long black hair whose body was draped by a black robe that appeared to be made of skin. At the woman's shoulders were plates of black bone, and there were other plates on her knees and covering her forearms. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

The man within stood up to his full height and brushed the hair from his eyes. Immediately he looked to the torn sky and then clenched his left hand. "I never left it, unlike you…Isis."

He tilted his head down to look at her, displaying vibrant green eyes that shown with fierce inner light but yet still gave nothing away. "To experience the hell of utter solitude for one month just as you requested Puppeteer. Now, for your end of the bargain tell me how to find what I want."

A red haired man with bright blue eyes appeared behind the towering man and smiled. "You will find all that you seek if you go to Cairo. There is where your answers await. The truth and the conclusion to a young man's quest will all be met in the ruins of that once magnificent city. Are you certain that's what you want, Sumatin?"

Dalin didn't look back at the Puppeteer as he spoke, nor did he look at the Death Knight with Isis' face. "I will have a conclusion and I will find the answer to that all consuming question of who I am. Without it I cannot continue. In Cairo I will see the end of it."

He turned to face the south where he could feel power flowing from the area he knew to be Cairo. "Cairo will see the end my journey and the revelation of the truth."

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Author's Notes: And Dalin is back in action!

_Next Time: The time has finally come for Dalin to find the truth that he has long sought for. At the same time Nikolas must reach for the conclusion to his own struggle and determine the conclusion to his hatred of Dalin. In the ruins of Cairo everything will change._

_See it all in, The Place of Journey's End!_


	41. The Place of Journey's End

Author's Note: Let us begin the path to finding Dalin's memories.

**Chapter Forty: The Place of Journey's End**

_A heavy object thudded onto the ground, water splashing around it. A pale hand reached down and ran across the black surface, just barely touching it. "How very interesting…impressively done."_

_Blue fire crackled from those pale fingertips and raced across the full length of the metallic object. It burned brightly and then the fire faded away. Again the hand reached down and grabbed at the object, then pulled, swinging it open. The burned away top crashed to the ground with a heavy clang. _

_That pale hand reached down, blue fire engulfing it as it touched what was within the now open metal case. It leapt over the surface of the precious cargo and incinerated the target of its ire. Black ink was melted by the power, and seconds later a thick hand clapped down at the rim. _

_A large body followed the hand and water trickled off of it, its hair matted over its face. It looked up to see a pale dead-looking woman with dark eyes and long black hair whose body was draped by a black robe that appeared to be made of skin. At the woman's shoulders were plates of black bone, and there were other plates on her knees and covering her forearms. "Welcome back to the world of the living."_

_The man within stood up to his full height and brushed the hair from his eyes. Immediately he looked to the torn sky and then clenched his left hand. "I never left it, unlike you…Isis."_

_He tilted his head down to look at her, displaying vibrant green eyes that shown with fierce inner light but yet still gave nothing away. "To experience the hell of utter solitude for one month just as you requested Puppeteer. Now, for your end of the bargain tell me how to find what I want."_

_A red haired man with bright blue eyes appeared behind the towering man and smiled. "You will find all that you seek if you go to Cairo. There is where your answers await. The truth and the conclusion to a young man's quest will all be met in the ruins of that once magnificent city. Are you certain that's what you want, Sumatin?"_

_Dalin didn't look back at the Puppeteer as he spoke, nor did he look at the Death Knight with Isis' face. "I will have a conclusion and I will find the answer to that all consuming question of who I am. Without it I cannot continue. In Cairo I will see the end of it."_

_He turned to face the south where he could feel power flowing from the area he knew to be Cairo. "Cairo will see the end of my journey and the revelation of the truth."_

_Nikolas realized all of a sudden that the dreadful noise of the battle was now replaced by silence, a nearly deafening silence at that. There was no movement from the battle save for crackling fires, and the only thing left standing was that unstoppable juggernaut. "Am-heh, Devourer of Millions!"_

_He was even more surprised when he suddenly found that he couldn't see the beast. "But…it was there just a second ago! I couldn't have even had time to blink before it was gone!"_

_His heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to find where it had gone, but he needn't have bothered. It slammed down on the crest just a few dozen feet away from him just after his search had begun. "Oh god no…"_

_Now that it was close up he was able to get a good look at it. It stood at least nine feet in height and was rippling with muscle, though its pale white skin was patterned with dust and random patches of blood probably splattered on by victims. It wore nothing but dirty baggy pants that might at one point have been white but were now a mix of grey, black, and red. But what made him most afraid was its face._

_Its head was cropped by a filthy mess of white blonde hair that hung to its back as a wild mane. It too was patched with blood and filth, giving the monster an even wilder look. Its eyes were similarly wild, being a deep emerald green shade but with irises shaped like a cat's. "Impossible…you can't possibly be…"_

_The face that horrified him so much, despite the enraged look it held and the dirt and blood that covered it…was a close match to the man he despised the monster. Its features were virtually identical to Dalin's. "Dalin…"_

_Those horrible green eyes bore down on him and it snarled, its teeth covered by a froth of blood. "SUMATIN!"_

_Nikolas gulped and tried to turn and run, but his body wouldn't cooperate. His legs were locked by fear and his brain filled with that and confusion. 'It just said…Sumatin? This beast, this monster Am-heh…it knows Dalin?'_

_Am-heh glared down at him and bit out a handful of words that sounded Egyptian to Nikolas, but the actual words weren't the same as the ones he knew. 'This tongue must be an ancient form of the Egyptian I know. What's it saying?'_

_When Nikolas didn't respond Am-heh snarled, blood spittle flying from its mouth. Am-heh swung one huge arm down and a wide swath of ground just to Nikolas' left was torn apart. Then it roared out another series of words that Nikolas didn't understand. "I…I can't understand you. Please…I just want to live!"_

_Never in his life had Nikolas been more afraid. This monster was the worst thing he had ever seen, it was as if all Dalin himself had been taken a transformed into a horrible demonic being capable of immense destructive power. 'How ironic…I'm going to die at the hands of a monster that looks just like the man I hate…'_

_Am-heh reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him up into the air so that they were level. "Sumatin…"_

Instinctively Nikolas dipped into the river of sand that he always pictured his power as and his body burst into a wall of sand. As he traveled it took a huge amount of mental presence to keep him from remaining that way forever.

With one final push he became corporeal again in his human form about thirty feet away from Am-heh. His heart was pounding in his chest as the beast swung its head around and locked onto him. "No…no! I won't die yet! I won't die here, not until I conclude my business with Sumatin!"

He thrust out his hand, palm open, and pushed his power out. The ground around Am-heh shot upwards as spikes of solid rock, slamming into Am-heh on all sides. But instead of squashing the monster flat like Nikolas had intended the beast snarled and with one swing of his massive arm he tore the rock spikes apart. _'Impossible power!'_

Those feral eyes swung around to look at Nikolas and he suddenly felt as if his body was weakening, as if the sheer force of that gaze was draining his strength. Am-heh proceeded to spout a long string of words, the only one of which that Nikolas knew was 'sumatin'. _'How do I fight this thing? Even a small army couldn't hurt it!'_

When Nikolas didn't respond to whatever Am-heh had said the monster drew back its meaty right arm, preparing to attack. Nikolas braced himself and reached into the depths of his soul to that river of sound, but found that his path was blocked by a raging wall of fire with a humanoid face in it. _'Am-heh's power is…no way! His sheer brutal power is blocking me from my own power!'_

Nikolas closed his eyes, bracing for imminent death as that arm began to swing forwards. Even though they were separated by thirty feet what Nikolas had seen showed him that Am-heh's punches were so strong that the force continued past his own hands. _'Is this really the end?'_

There was a heavy cracking sound and a feeling of air rushing past him, but that was all. When nothing else seemed to be coming Nikolas cracked open his one eye and saw something he hadn't even guessed at. _'I must be seeing things…'_

Am-heh's huge hand was stopped in mid-swing by a palm in its way. The palm was big, but not anywhere near as large as Am-heh's. Standing barefoot to the side, back to Am-heh and arm extended to catch the fist, was Nikolas' most hated enemy. Am-heh's cracked lips curled into a fierce grin. "Sumatin…"

Dalin tilted his head back so that he was looking up at Am-heh, who was looking down at him. Their jade eyes met, two nearly identical faces right across from each other but with entirely opposed expressions. Unbidden words came to Dalin's lips and he spoke them in a language he shouldn't have known. ("Am-heh…this is the place where it ends.")

Nikolas stared at Dalin, shocked to hear those words coming from his rival's mouth. He didn't understand them, but he did recognize them. _'It sounds just like the language Am-heh is speaking. How are those two connected?'_

Am-heh's fierce grin grew even wider upon hearing Dalin speak and his power began to flare, the ground around their feet cracking under the pressure. Nikolas himself felt his bones quivering under that enormous force. ("Sumatin….today I wipe out the pain!")

Am-heh pulled back his outstretched right arm and then punched with it again. Silver light covered Dalin's palm as he spun on his heel to catch the fist. The instant Am-heh's curled fist hit Dalin's palm the legendary duelist felt the heavy impact throughout his whole body. _'Strong…'_

The thief hurled himself to the side as the force of the blow continued past Dalin's body, cracking ground in a straight line past where Nikolas himself had been standing. _'If I hadn't moved that punch would have killed me. Even with Dalin blocking it's that strong? Then how did Dalin block in the first place?'_

Dalin gathered his power into his free left hand and swung it, his knuckles grinding into Am-heh's face with all the force he could muster. The addition of his raw energy to his physical strength was enough to lift Am-heh up off the ground and toss him into the air. _'He didn't even bother to defend against it…yet somehow I'm not surprised. How is that?'_

Am-heh's body plummeted off the ledge and to the rubble below, crashing through the remains of what might once have been a roof. A cloud of dust shot up into the air out of the hole Am-heh's body had made, obscuring the view.

With Am-heh seemingly gone for the moment Dalin took a chance to examine his hands which were still covered in his own power. Despite the shielding his right and left hands had been given they were a dark red color, and his bare right shoulder was also slightly red. _'Even with my full power I can barely absorb the blows, and somehow I know that I've hardly experienced Am-heh's full power.'_

Leaning forward he looked down off the ledge and into the ruined building. It was shaking, so Dalin knew it would only be a moment. Pointing his glowing hand at the building Dalin focused his power into a more intense form and then unleashed it in the direction he wanted. A sphere of silver light erupted from his palm and crashed down through the hole Am-heh had made. The building was almost instantly engulfed in a fireball as the energy exploded. _'I wonder…did that even hurt him?'_

His question was answered almost immediately when a smoke covered form burst out of the top of the fireball heading straight for him. Dalin gathered power to his feet and jumped backwards, just barely avoiding a downwards punch as Am-heh plowed out of the smoke. His strike shattered the ledge and Am-heh himself rolled with no coordination onto the rest of their precipice. _'He has no finesse; all he has is that untouchable brute power and a nearly impenetrable body. And those seem to be all the advantages he needs.'_

Am-heh rolled onto his feet and swung his left arm in a wide sweeping gesture. A heavy blast of wind struck Dalin and tossed him into the air with no real direction. Nikolas stared up into the air as Dalin tumbled end over end, rapidly approaching the ground.

Registering the distance between his own body and the ground Dalin made preparations and seconds before he would have impacted he jerked his hips and flipped himself so his feet were facing the ground. His feet hit first and dug in, causing him to go sliding backwards.

He stopped just inches away from the far edge of their precipice, giving him room enough to recover and continue the fight. _'My ribs hurt…meaning even if he doesn't hit me directly he can hurt me just based on his brutal strength. I'm certain I could hurt him if I poured all of my power into attacking, but I doubt I could kill him…'_

_"When the time comes and you are where you must be, then remember my words and you will know the path to the conclusion that you seek."_ The words of the Puppeteer rang in his head. It had been speaking of when he was at this place, though at the time he hadn't known that.

_"Your blood echoes with the blood of millions, and so that link of blood will unlock the pathway to those memories that are hidden in shadow and fire."_ Dalin's memory of his conversation with the Puppeteer was rudely interrupted when Am-heh covered the distance between them and landed a heavy blow on his shoulder.

Dalin bit back a scream of pain as his shoulder jerked out of place despite the energy covering his skin to weaken damage. The blow sent him spiraling off the edge of the precipice and crashing down into the rubble below. _'Not now…I have to figure this out…this is the place of my path's conclusion, so the answer must be here.'_

He moved to pick himself up but was startled to discover that shifting his weight caused a metal beam to his left to creak. And when he looked up he saw that it was barely supporting a heavy concrete slab. _'If I move then I'll be crushed, but if I don't move Am-heh will crush me himself. This is far from an ideal situation.'_

Am-heh landed amongst the wreckage about a dozen feet away and began stalking towards him, his feline green eyes filled with hate and longing at the same time. ("Sumatin, the pain will be forever gone!")

The beast raised one hefty arm above its head, ready to swing down. But before it could a wall of solid rock slammed into him, pushing him along until he hit the side of a building. Then the building itself and the wall of rock collapsed, burying Am-heh. _'Interesting…'_

Landing in the spot that Am-heh had just occupied was none other than Nikolas, his face a mix of fear and determination. "Before you thank me, just know that I still hate you with every fiber of my being. But I'll be damned if I let some freak kill you before I conclude my business with you."

Nikolas then snapped his fingers and the slab of concrete shattered, dropping fragments all around Dalin but none on him. "Now stand up and fight. Let's kill this monster together so that we can end our business once and for all. Let's paint this city red with Am-heh's blood!"

Dalin paused in the process of standing up, his eyes widening ever so slightly at Nikolas' words. _'Of course! The blood of millions doesn't refer to a million people, but rather the blood of Am-heh, Devourer of Millions! In other words, his blood mixing with mine is the link that is required.'_

He finished standing and glanced down at his bruised right palm, considering his options. After a few moments of contemplation he lifted his head and looked over at Nikolas, his green eyes meeting Nikolas' lone eye. "Today, in this city of Cairo, we will have our conclusion, both of us. In order for that to happen I'm going to need your cooperation. I will ask two things of you, the first of which is to hold Am-heh as steady as you can when he reappears."

Nikolas frowned, not quite sure how well he could do that. Even using up all of his power he doubted he could hold Am-heh for very long, as strong as the monster was. "And the second thing?"

"Once I've done what I need to, if it works I'll ask it of you. Until then, asking would be pointless." Despite his frown, Nikolas nodded, accepting that to be true. If he got the chance to get a conclusion to his rivalry and hatred of Dalin, then that was all that mattered.

_'Mother, father, today I will see the end of my struggle. Maybe then I can move on and…'_ His thoughts ground to a halt as he realized once again that he didn't know.

_"Poor boy. Until you know what you want, you have no reason to be asking anyone else what they want. So, ask me again once you've really figured out the answer to that all consuming question."_

He shook his head, trying to drive away Ihami's words, but he found it impossible. They struck true, because they were true. Ultimately he couldn't escape that understanding that if he concluded his struggle with Dalin he didn't know where he would go from there. _'Yet still, I have to push on!'_

The rubble that covered Am-heh exploded outwards, chunks of the building and stone flying into the air, revealing Am-heh's dust covered form. At first Nikolas was hopeful as it seemed that Am-heh's shoulders were heaving from heavy breathing, but on closer inspection he realized the truth. Am-heh was laughing.

Nikolas shot a glance back at Dalin, reassuring himself that this was what he wanted to do. The taller man returned his look, nodded, and then both of them looked back to Am-heh. While staring at the slowly approaching monster Dalin spoke. "Before today's end, I believe one of us will die."

_"If you go to Cairo you will die."_

The thief let a small smile touch his lips at the memory of what Takuya had told him just before he left. "No Sumatin, one of us here is already dead. Before today's end we'll just figure out which one of us it is!"

Am-heh roared and charge at them, barreling forwards and covering the distance at incredible speed. With a slight smile still on his face Nikolas gathered up his power, now unblocked because the monster's attention was elsewhere, and clapped his hands together. "Maybe the one who's dead already is you, Am-heh!"

The beast's stride was stopped when the ground around its feet shot upwards and wrapped around its lower body, moving steadily upwards until Am-heh was covered all the way up to his neck. Instantly the stone began to crack, so Nikolas poured more of his power into it to keep the stone steady. "There won't be much time holding him like this, so do what you have to Dalin!"

Dalin didn't respond in words but rather in actions as he began to cross the space between himself and Am-heh. In his right hand he now held the same switch blade that he had always had as long as he could remember, ever since he awoke those years ago without his memory.

When he was close enough he took a flying jump and landed perched on the stone tomb that covered Am-heh's body. He stabbed the knife directly into Am-heh's throat, and to Nikolas' surprise blood began to gush out. Dalin didn't waste a moment as the wound was already closing.

To Nikolas' further surprise Dalin slashed the knife across his left palm, drawing blood. Then without a word Dalin clamped his bloody left hand over Am-heh's gushing throat. ("The link of the blood is completed! Open the path!")

Dalin felt a huge wave of power pulse through his body, and he felt that mighty blood pumping through his own veins even though Am-heh's wound had already closed. Am-heh roared and flexed his muscles, shattering the rock and sending Dalin tumbling to the ground. ("I must end the pain!")

Using his hands as a spring Dalin vaulted himself into a handspring, turning in mid-air so that he came down on his feet facing Am-heh. Behind him Nikolas fell to his knees, breathing hard from the exertion of holding Am-heh fast. "What the hell did that accomplish?"

Dalin held up his left palm in front of his face and saw that the cut he had made was gone, though rapidly drying blood still covered his palm. "I can feel it…I can feel it pulsing within me. And I believe I understand at last."

As Nikolas watched an intricate pattern of red lines drew themselves upon Dalin's bare chest and back, until it formed what appeared to be a design of a red serpent with wings biting its own tail. "What in the world?"

Even Am-heh seemed unable to understand what was going on, as it stared blankly at Dalin, almost as if waiting. Dalin turned his head to look back at Nikolas and the thief jerked back, realizing with a jolt that his rival's irises were slits, just like Am-heh's. "Nikolas, stall Am-heh. I have to follow the path to the depths of my own personal hell. If I succeed, then I will have an answer for you and for myself. And then I will end this."

"Stall? How am I supposed to do that?" Dalin looked back at Am-heh who was still frozen in his spot, staring blankly at Dalin. The angel duelist finally spoke.

"It doesn't matter. But if you're still alive and I live through my task then I will give you the answer as to whether or not I killed your parents. And once Am-heh is dealt with, if the answer to that question is yes, I swear that my life will be forfeit at your hand." Nikolas stared openly at Dalin, unable to believe what he was hearing.

The chance at his vengeance, the chance at finally knowing the truth was staring him right in the face. This was what he wanted, had wanted for a dozen years. No matter what Ihami said, this was the sole defining want of his life, the answer to everything. "I accept! Come back and let me know which of us is really the dead man!"

Without looking back Dalin clapped his hands together and his body rippled. Then the serpent's head separated from his body and stretched out, forming into the giant head of Saint Dragon Osiris. It opened its jaws wide and swooped down, engulfing Dalin's body in its massive maw.

When Dalin was out of the sight the head of the dragon shrieked to the sky and then crumpled into itself, vanishing with a pop. Nikolas smirked and rose to his feet, his eye moving to meet Am-heh's eyes which now focused on him. "Come on big guy, while he's out, let's play a little game. I swear it will be the last game you'll ever play."

He reached behind his back and unhooked a small pack, letting the object within drop out into his waiting palm. He brought it around his body and strapped it onto his arm in one swift motion, revealing it to be a pure white duel pod. "I'm curious as to how long a monster like you can last in a Darkness Game!"

The duel pod activated as soon as Nikolas slid his deck into it and shadows sprang up all around himself and Am-heh, hiding the ruins of Cairo from their prying eyes. "Come and face me in the darkness Devourer of Millions!" (NLP: 4000)

Am-heh's slotted eyes narrowed and then he burst out laughing, the sound frightening as it struck a primal cord of fear deep within Nikolas. But what was more shocking than that was when Am-heh spoke, still in the same language, but the words were clear as crystal. "I will devour you and beat back the pain for a moment longer! Then I will devour him and end the pain forever!"

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Dalin looked around carefully, finding himself standing on what appeared to be a huge circle of red. Based on the uneven gaps and the way it seemed to move beneath his feet he was certain that he was standing on the coils of none other than Saint Dragon Osiris. "How very interesting."

Sweeping his gaze around the platform he looked at what was surrounding it. A few hundred feet away from the platform and on all sides were giant walls of stone, with hieroglyphics covering every single inch. Looking over the edge of the platform showed that it was a few hundred feet of a drop into a wide pool of crystal clear water. "I've been here before."

**_TRUE._**

Dalin jerked his head around, looking for the source of the voice, despite knowing that he had heard it at once from everywhere, including within his mind. "Who speaks?"

**_YOU KNOW WHO I AM._**

It was true; somehow Dalin did know who the source of the voice was. It was only confirmed as at the far edge of the platform a huge angular head with two mouths rose up. "Osiris."

**_THE PATH OF YOUR BLOOD HAS OPENED THE WAY TO YOUR SEALED MEMORIES. DO YOU TRULY DESIRE THEM?_**

Without a pause Dalin gave his answer. "I do. I cannot move on with my life, cannot determine my true purpose, until I have answered that all consuming question."

**_WHAT QUESTION IS THAT?_**

"Who am I?" The question echoed in the empty chamber, returning to Dalin time and time again. It seemed to go on forever before Osiris finally answered.

**_THEN YOU MUST REST YOUR MEMORIES FREE OF THEIR KEEPER. DO YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE?_**

Seeing no other soul in the area Dalin asked the question that he felt he knew the answer to without hearing it. Yet still he wanted to hear it from Osiris. "What keeper is that?"

**_THE KEEPER OF YOUR HEART AND MEMORIES IS THE DEVOURER OF SOULS, AMMUT._**

Dalin paused to consider the situation, but everything he came up with pointed to this confrontation being the one and only path to achieving his goal. "Somehow I have always known it would come to this. I accept!"

**_THEN LET THE GAME BEGIN. AMMUT'S BET IS THAT OF YOUR MEMORIES, WHAT DO YOU BET TO AMMUT? THERE MUST BE EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE._**

Again Dalin paused, considering what he had to bet. But the answer came to him in memory of words spoken to him once long ago.

_"Souls are a necessary source of life, as is blood. But souls don't make life, they just make the person. A body without a soul is still alive, it's just a shell. And therefore a person can exist without a piece of their soul."_

"I bet my soul and my body to Ammut. It can devour me completely should I lose." There was an additional pause, Osiris' head hovering in place as if considering something. Finally it spoke.

**_YOUR BET HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. TO THE WINNER GO THE SPOILS._**

Osiris' head lowered back down, completing the wide platform again. The far end of the platform shimmered as a shape approached out of the nothingness, its form and appearance familiar to Dalin. He had seen this monster before.

"It was always my duty to take the souls that were determined as evil and consume them, to make sure they didn't end up here. I consumed that darkness but was never affected by it, for I am a demon." They were words he had heard before, back then from the same voice as he heard it in now. Nearly identical to his own, but harsher, dryer.

Ammut took on the appearance it had the last time Dalin had seen it. Its body was identical to Dalin's, but the neck was longer than normal and the mouth was wide and grinning full of razor teeth. "Hello Dalin. Still frightened of me?"

Dalin shook his head, surprised at how calm he was. He had expected excitement of some form, maybe even fear at the risk, but there was nothing but calm and readiness. "What is there to fear? All that you are is the essence within me, the demon Ammut."

"My own words thrown back at me, how amusing of you. Are you ready to face me, to face the challenge? You can still back out, but if you do you will never have the chance again." In response Dalin raised his left arm and a swarm of angel feathers wrapped it around it, forming into a pure white wing extending off his arm with just two openings on it, one for the deck and the other for his cemetery. His deck was already in place. (DLP: 4000)

Ammut chuckled, the sound clicking harshly out of that fanged mouth. He gave his own response in form of lifting up his right arm, which was surrounded by swarming black feathers. They merged into one pure black wing, otherwise identical to Dalin's. Its deck was also in place. "Eager to die, as always." (ALP: 4000)

Dalin quirked an eyebrow at that flippant comment. "As always?"

The demon wagged a long finger at him, his slotted red eyes showing his amusement. "No telling unless you defeat me first. So face me Dalin, if you can!"

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Though they stood separately they fought for their desires equally. Thief standing opposite and side by side with his rival. Both seeking the truth and an end to their seeking.

Everything that they were would be tested, though they knew that they also were completely unaware of it. Yet even if they were to somehow learn that victory was impossible, it is likely that both would still have accepted the challenge presented to them.

Though they were vastly different they were also exceedingly similar. It would have been completely impossible to stop them from traveling down the paths they had chosen, purely because it was the choice they had made.

Yet though they fought side by side, fought opposite each other, fought for similar goals they still were attempting to answer vastly opposing questions.

The thief to determine whether vengeance was truly what he wanted, to know if that was the answer to the all consuming question of "What do you want?"

His rival to determine the nature of his own self, to uncover his past so that he might move on in life. To answer that all consuming question of "Who am I?"

The courses of their lives would change forever when they achieved those answers. Yet knowing that drastic, perhaps even unwanted changes might occur, they still had to press on.

Because without an answer, continuing in life was meaningless. Because they both had to know the truth that separated them.

_"Before today's end, I believe one of us will die."_

_"No Sumatin, one of us here is already dead. Before today's end we'll just figure out which one of us it is!"_

_"It doesn't matter. But if you're still alive and I live through my task then I will give you the answer as to whether or not I killed your parents. And once Am-heh is dealt with, if the answer to that question is yes, I swear that my life will be forfeit at your hand."_

_"I accept! Come back and let me know which of us is really the dead man!"_

_"You will find all that you seek if you go to Cairo. There is where your answers await. The truth and the conclusion to a young man's quest will all be met in the ruins of that once magnificent city. Are you certain that's what you want, Sumatin?"_

_"I will have a conclusion and I will find the answer to that all consuming question of who I am. Without it I cannot continue. In Cairo I will see the end of it."_

_ "Cairo will see the end of my journey and the revelation of the truth."_

Today was the day that their journeys would end. The day they would have their answers.

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Author's Notes: And this chapter marks me hitting page 500. The next chapter starts on page 500.

_Next Time: Separate challenges, but with one desired conclusion. The truth. Truth of memory or truth of vengeance. Nikolas and Dalin stand tall and face some of the greatest challenges they have ever stood against. Monsters with power unlike any they have experienced._

_See it all in, Ammut's Power; Am-heh's Power!_


	42. Ammut's Power Amheh's Power

Author's Note: Let the games begin!

**Chapter Forty-One: Ammut's Power; Am-heh's Power**

_"Stall? How am I supposed to do that?" Dalin looked back at Am-heh who was still frozen in his spot, staring blankly at Dalin. The angel duelist finally spoke._

_"It doesn't matter. But if you're still alive and I live through my task then I will give you the answer as to whether or not I killed your parents. And once Am-heh is dealt with, if the answer to that question is yes, I swear that my life will be forfeit at your hand." Nikolas stared openly at Dalin, unable to believe what he was hearing._

_The chance at his vengeance, the chance at finally knowing the truth was staring him right in the face. This was what he wanted, had wanted for a dozen years. No matter what Ihami said, this was the sole defining want of his life, the answer to everything. "I accept! Come back and let me know which of us is really the dead man!"_

_Without looking back Dalin clapped his hands together and his body rippled. Then the serpent's head separated from his body and stretched out, forming into the giant head of Saint Dragon Osiris. It opened its jaws wide and swooped down, engulfing Dalin's body in its massive maw. _

_When Dalin was out of the sight the head of the dragon shrieked to the sky and then crumpled into itself, vanishing with a pop. Nikolas smirked and rose to his feet, his eye moving to meet Am-heh's eyes which now focused on him. "Come on big guy, while he's out, let's play a little game. I swear it will be the last game you'll ever play."_

_He reached behind his back and unhooked a small pack, letting the object within drop out into his waiting palm. He brought it around his body and strapped it onto his arm in one swift motion, revealing it to be a pure white duel pod. "I'm curious as to how long a monster like you can last in a Darkness Game!" _

_The duel pod activated as soon as Nikolas slid his deck into it and shadows sprang up all around himself and Am-heh, hiding the ruins of Cairo from their prying eyes. "Come and face me in the darkness Devourer of Millions!" (NLP: 4000)_

_Am-heh's slotted eyes narrowed and then he burst out laughing, the sound frightening as it struck a primal cord of fear deep within Nikolas. But what was more shocking than that was when Am-heh spoke, still in the same language, but the words were clear as crystal. "I will devour you and beat back the pain for a moment longer! Then I will devour him and end the pain forever!"_

Nick frowned, not quite sure how to take the fact that he could now understand Am-heh. But since there was magic involved he was willing to ignore it without any comment. "If you think that you can devour me, beat me in this duel first! And I'll start things off for us!"

He drew the top card of his deck and held it up to his eye, and smirked at the sight of another single eye looking back at him. "Perfect. I summon Don Zaloog(1400/1000) in attack mode!"

The purple haired one-eyed thief jumped out of the card and onto the field, twirling a revolver in his left hand. "With Don and the rest of the Dark Scorpions at my sight, even a monster like you can't beat me."

Next Nick took two of his five remaining cards and placed them into his disk directly behind Don Zaloog. They appeared one after the other on the left and right sides of Don. "Two cards set, and end turn."

He watched Am-heh carefully, considering what might be coming. _'I have no idea what sort of strategy Am-heh uses, but he doesn't seem all that intelligent so I'll probably have an advantage.'_

Am-heh stared at Don, and then at Nick, then back at Don. Nick blinked at Am-heh's blank stare and tapped his right foot against the ground. "Well? What are you waiting for? Hell, you haven't even….ummm….do you even have a duel disk? Or a deck?"

The monster looked down at his forearms when Nick gestured to the object on his own arm. Then he looked back at Nick and raised an eyebrow. Nick grimaced and slapped a hand against his forehead. "Shit…how the hell do I duel somebody in a Darkness Game when they don't have a deck at all or even know what I'm talking about."

Am-heh's right eye twitched when he saw that Don and Nick seemed to be ignoring him. Nick jerked to attention when he felt a surge of power from the monster and his body shook from the pressure of the energy. _'Damn…what the hell is he doing?'_

"DON'T IGNORE ME! I HATE THAT!" The monstrous humanoid swung his right arm in an arc and the darkness shook as a ripple shot across the field. The force of Am-heh's swing translated into dark energy that was heading straight for Nick.

Nick stared at the oncoming attack and panicked. "Wait a second; you can't attack the other player in the middle of a duel, especially not one that's a Darkness Game!"

His eye widened even further when a holographic counter appeared beneath the oncoming ripple of energy. One that clearly read 4000. "What the hell….attack points?"

Instinctively he reached down and pressed a button on the top of his Duel Pod, and the card he had set on his right flipped up. "Reverse card open, Dark Scorpion Leadership! This lets me sacrifice a Don on the field, from my hand, or remove him from my grave to special summon two level four or lower Dark Scorpions to the field!"

Don shimmered and turned to dust, but then appeared in his place were two monsters in crouched positions. The first was a dark haired woman in a black and red outfit, while the other a gaunt man with glasses. "I special summon Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000) and Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) in defense mode!"

The ripple of force struck Cliff and he screamed as his body was ripped in half and he blew apart. Nikolas grimaced and nearly lost his balance as he realized that he had felt part of that damage. "Cliff….no…"

Am-heh snickered, his jade eyes filled with amusement at the sight of the death he had caused. "Your pathetic little thing doesn't touch my power! My power is untouchable!"

It didn't seem that Am-heh was going to be doing anything else, so it just left Nikolas feeling confused. _'Did he just attack as if he were a monster? So is that maybe his Duel Presence, something that lets him be a monster? Okay…so if that's the case then he's open and I can attack his life points directly.'_

He frowned, chewing on his lip even as he drew. It was bothering him, trying to figure out exactly how that worked. _'Okay, so his attack was four thousand. Maybe his attack is equal to his life points. Or maybe I can only beat him if I defeat him in battle…I won't know until I try.'_

There was no method to take other than to just give it a try, so now he was going to have to strike a blow. "I summon Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow(1000/1000) in attack mode to join Maenae the Thorn!"

Appearing on the field in a flash was the youngest and smallest of the Dark Scorpions. The little spiky haired blonde kid who was roughly half the height of Maenae. "Okay…time to give this a try! Maenae, Chick, attack Am-heh!"

Chick reached behind his back and whipped out a huge mallet, much bigger than he should have been able to carry. Maenae reached to her side and unfurled the whip that was placed there and cracked it. "Mallet Smash and Rose Whip!"

Maenae cracked the whip against Am-heh's chest, though the monster appeared undamaged and didn't budge. Chick followed it up by jumping into the air and then swinging his mallet down on Am-heh's head. His mallet bounced off and he stumbled back to Nick's side of the field. "I honestly can't tell if that did anything…"

Am-heh blinked and looked down to his left side where a glowing counter had appeared. Nick smirked, realizing that Am-heh had been completely open to a direct attack just like he had hoped. "Perfect, that'll mean I've already gotten rid of half your life points."

The counter stopped and displayed the final number. When he saw it, Nick just stared at it in horror. "No….that can't be possible. How is that possible?" (ALP: 498,000)

He gulped, realizing exactly what was going on here, even if Am-heh didn't seem aware of it. _'No…this is impossible. He's not a monster, but instead of dueling he's…translating his own power into this duel. Those life points represent his own life, and his attacks are based on the physical effort he puts into an attack.'_

Continuing that line of thought he realized exactly what that meant about his effects. _'If that's the case then he doesn't even have a deck, so the discard effects of my Dark Scorpions are essentially useless!'_

He stared down at his hand of cards, and listlessly reached for his graveyard, picking up Don Zaloog and adding it to his hand thanks to Maenae's effect since she had dealt damage. Then once he had done that he grabbed another card from his hand and placed it down to replace his previously used card. "End Turn…"

Nick wasn't a math genius, but he was certain that he couldn't possibly deal five hundred thousand points of damage in a duel before he was finished off, even if his opponent didn't defend himself. _'How…how can I possibly win this duel? Dalin…I have to stay alive until he returns, so even if I die I can have an answer!'_

Am-heh chuckled and stomped the ground with his left food, shaking the entire field of darkness. Nick stared as cracks spider webbed towards his monster, and a counter above the cracks showed the number six thousand. _'His attack points increased?'_

The wave of cracks was awfully close to his monsters, so Nick knew that even though it wouldn't have much effect he still had to act. "Activate trap, Dark Scorpion Thorn! I tribute Maenae in order to negate your attack and deal her attack points as battle damage to your life points!"

Maenae shattered as Nick's trap flipped up and flying out of it came a giant black thorn. It struck Am-heh in the chest and imbedded itself, but the monster ripped it out instantly, letting the wound heal. Then he laughed in delight. (ALP: 497,000)

"Using Maenae's effect I pick up Cliff from the cemetery and add him to my hand!" He picked up the monster from the grave and placed it amongst his other cards, sighing with relief as the web of cracks stopped just shy of Chick.

Nick reached for his deck and drew, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. _'It looks like winning this duel is impossible, but I'm going to stall him as long as I can so that I can hear the truth from your lips Dalin. So come back with an answer for me!'_

He fanned out the five cards he was holding and began to formulate a strategy. _'Let's look at this at least a little bit logically. I know I can't possibly drain all his life points, but I can put up a decent fight. So there's no reason not to play this as a normal duel. Meaning…I've got my combo all set up!'_

Taking one of the five he slapped it down onto the field, and the purple haired form of the Dark Scorpion's leader returned. "Don Zaloog(1400/1000) takes to the field once again, but he won't be lonely for much longer!"

Smirking he slipped the key card of his move into his duel pod, activating it. A magic card appeared on the field with an image of the Dark Scorpions all gathered together in an ornate pose. "Dark Scorpion Clan is my choice of card, and it will let me summon out three of the clan. One from the hand…"

Grabbing a third card out of his hand he placed it onto his duel disk and the tall but skinny figure that was the trap expert of the group took his position next to Don. "Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000) rejoins his companions! And from the cemetery, the beauty of the group reappears!"

His chosen card popped out of his cemetery and he set it onto his duel pod with care. "Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) takes her place at her clan's side yet again! And to complete the group, the brutal power of the clan from my deck…"

Finally from his deck came another card which he placed in the final position of his five monster zones. What came out was a tall and muscular bald man with squinted eyes who had a hammer slung over one shoulder. "Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong(1800/1500) is here to tear you a new one!"

A pulse of power surged through the six of them as the connection he had with the Dark Scorpions roared to life. Am-heh looked eager, obviously feeling the power. "COME! FIGHT ME!"

Nick's eye became colder as he thrust out his right hand and pointed at Am-heh. "You asked for it Am-heh! Dark Scorpions, attack him all together now! Dark Scorpion Assault!"

Maenae snapped her whip out, cracking it against Am-heh's shoulder. Cliff followed up by tossing a pair of knives which bounced off his chest. Gorg and Chick went tag-team and smashed their respective weapons against opposite sides of Am-heh's head at the same time. When they hopped out of the way Don appeared in front of him and fired a round directly into Am-heh's face. Yet despite all that, he didn't budge. _'So strong…'_ (ALP: 490,600)

Shaking off the oncoming despair of barely denting his opponent's life points Nick gestured with his left hand to Maenae who had her whip curled around her shoulders. "Because Maenae the Thorn did damage to your life points I can pick up a Dark Scorpion card from the cemetery, and this is my choice."

He held up Dark Scorpion Clan and then placed it into his hand. "Although the rest of the scorpions have abilities of their own, since you have no field and no deck they can't do anything. Now, I set one card face down."

A card took a position as a replacement for his previous trap, and this one he was even more confident in. Nick exhaled and gave each of the three summoned scorpions a nod of the head. "During my end phase all Dark Scorpions summoned by Dark Scorpion Clan are sent to the cemetery, so now they go to the grave. Farewell for now."

Gorg, Maenae, and Cliff all faded away, leaving Don and Chick left together on the field without the rest of their group. "But don't think that means the Dark Scorpions are done for, because they're far from gone. They'll be back, and with our power united we'll last as long as we need to find our answer."

Am-heh laughed with delight and slapped his hands together as if clapping. But the strength of that clap sent a wave of force heading towards his two Dark Scorpions, and going with it was a counter that read ten thousand. _'Ten thousand attack points…impressive, but against my trap it doesn't matter if it was a million attack points!'_

Nick pointed with his right hand at his newest face down card, which opened and showed an image of a ripple of energy blocking a red blast. "This famous trap card will negate the attack and destroy the attacker, so let's find out if that works on you. Mirror Force, obliterate Am-heh!"

The wave of pure force bounced back right before striking the Dark Scorpions and surged towards Am-heh. The monster's eyes glowed a dark red as it roared and held out one hand, palm outstretched. The wave of force struck his hand and…stopped. "What the hell?"

"RAAAA!" Am-heh pushed back with his hand and the attack surged back towards Nikolas' field and smashed into the two Dark Scorpions, blowing them apart like ripe melons.

Nikolas couldn't stop himself from staring at the blank space where Don and Chick had been just moments before. _'Impossible….he just reflected the attack and used the ability of Mirror Force to destroy my face-up attack mode monsters! In other words…he turned back the power of one of the game's best trap cards. What sort of power is this?'_

He shook even as he reached for his deck and looked down at the card he had drawn. But when he saw it his shaking stopped and it was replaced by a different sort of shaking. His shoulders now shook with mirth. "Am-heh…you fight with your power and your rage, and I can't tell if you hold anything back. But I've been dueling conservatively, and the only way to face a monster like you is to give it everything you have. In other words, I'm going to dump every ounce of my ability and my deck into defeating you!"

He snapped up the card and his eye was filled with determination, his body unmoved by his fear. "Just as I said, every ounce of my deck, and it all comes with this card. Dark Scorpion Graveyard, which has a special effect that sends every Dark Scorpion card in my deck to the cemetery!"

Am-heh blinked in confusion as Nikolas pulled his deck out of its holding place and searched through it. He quickly found all the cards that weren't Dark Scorpion cards and then dumped the rest into his grave. What he returned was a very small number. "It seems stupid, to any duelist, and possibly even to someone who isn't a duelist like you are. But Dark Scorpion Graveyard is a give your all double-edged sword."

The monster looked down at his feet as thousands of black scorpions began to crawl up out of the ground. A fewer number were surrounding Nikolas, but it was still an impressive amount. "By sending my deck to the grave like that I get the choice to deal my opponent ten thousand points of damage. But it acts as a double edged sword because I also take five thousand damage if I choose to do so. And believe me, I choose to!"

All of the black scorpions swarmed, crawling all over Am-heh, covering him completely from head to toe. The black scorpions also began to crawl up Nikolas' body, but he was ready for them. "Rarely do I use this card except for a few combos, and this is my ultimate one with it! The magic card Delight of the Fall! This turn I gain three hundred life points for every card sent to the cemetery from hand or deck by an effect!"

His body was bathed in light, blasting the black scorpions off of him. Am-heh snarled from within the pile of scorpions and flexed, sending them sailing off his body. Nikolas smirked, somehow confident despite the loss of his deck. "Even though I gained life points and did hefty damage you must be wondering why I'd risk such a thing. I'll explain." (NLP: 16,400; ALP: 480,600)

Nikolas flipped around one of the cards he was holding, revealing it to be the same card he had picked up last turn. "If you remember right I recovered this card last turn, so now I'll play it again. Dark Scorpion Clan this time can only bring back one monster, one from the graveyard since I have none in my hand or deck."

A card popped out of his cemetery and he slapped it onto the field. His field glowed as a middle aged but beautiful dark haired woman appeared, with a rose in one hand and a whip in the other. "Meet the elder version of Maenae the Thorn, her more experienced self, Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Rose(1800/2200)!"

Maenae smirked and snapped her rose, causing a giant holographic card to rise out of the ground. She reached out and touched it, turning it into a smaller form which she handed to Nick. "When she's summoned Maenae the Rose returns a Dark Scorpion card from my cemetery to my hand. And I'll summon the card I chose, her younger self, Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800)!"

Younger and older versions of the same monster exchanged glances and smirked in exactly the same way, readying their whips for an assault on Am-heh. "These two are the same person, so obviously they think the same way and they've guessed right. Maenae and Maenae, attack Am-heh!"

A double snap of whips punched down more of Am-heh's life points, draining him an insignificant amount. "Now they both activate their effects, Maenae the younger bringing back one card and Maenae the elder bringing back two!" (ALP: 477,800)

Both monsters cracked their whips and then offered their three cards to Nikolas who placed them into his hand, giving him four total. "Thanks to these two monsters I've got a nice full hand. Now I activate their field card, Den of Thieves!"

A cavern formed all around them, with treasure packed against the walls and the weapons of the Dark Scorpions lying on a table in the corner. "Den of Thieves gives me several abilities, but right now the one that matters is that all Dark Scorpions gain a three hundred attack and defense point bonus."

The two Maenaes' attack points rose at the same time, and though it wasn't a huge amount it was quite a large enough number. "During my end phase Maenae the Rose will return to the grave, so I'll set this card and end my turn. Thank you Maenae."

She blew him a kiss and then burst into pixels, leaving her younger self alone against the brutal power of Am-heh. "You see Am-heh? I'm not done yet, because I won't stop fighting as long as my quest for revenge remains unresolved!"

Am-heh sneered, or perhaps grinned, Nikolas couldn't tell. All he knew was that Am-heh's lips curled back to reveal his blood and dirt stained teeth. "You are strong, which will make eating you all the more satisfying! DIE LITTLE SCORPION!"

He swung both arms in an x motion, and an x of energy burst out of his arms, shooting directly towards Maenae. Nikolas grimaced as he saw that it showed twenty thousand attack points, and it was all coming for him. "You get stronger each turn, but brute strength can't stop me, especially not when I've got traps, like this one!"

His new trap flipped up and Maenae the Thorn's body rippled, turning into the older form of Maenae the Rose. "Dark Scorpion Experience lets me sacrifice a Dark Scorpion for their older self from the grave or my deck, as well as negating your attack. In addition since Maenae the Rose was summoned I get to pick up another Dark Scorpion card from the grave."

Nick reached for his graveyard, but was stopped when a powerful force struck him head-on and blew him off his feet. He gasped as he was tossed into the air and then tumbled, bouncing along the ground under the pressure of the attack. He finally stopped rolling, his body aching as if he had been stepped on by an elephant. (NLP: 14,400)

The thief surprised himself by rising to his hands and knees, then coughing up blood. He hadn't been sure if he could even move after that, but he still had plenty of strength left. He glared up at Am-heh, blood dripping from his chin. "How is that possible? I negated your attack…why did I take damage?"

Am-heh's lips curled up again and he laughed. "My power is raw; my power is unstoppable, untouchable. Nothing can stop my brutal force for long, not even your little tricks."

Nikolas growled and spat some more blood out of his mouth. Then he struggled up to his feet, his knees feeling weak as he glared up at Am-heh. "I get it…now you've got so much power that even my traps can't completely stop you. Enough that your attack did life point damage to me equal to a tenth of the original attack strength. And if this trend is correct then…"

He shuddered with the realization at how impossible this duel was once again. There was no way for him to win that, he had already figured it out, but seeing this began to make him fear that he couldn't stall very long. "If this trend is right then if your power grows to a certain level then nothing will affect your attacks."

Nick felt his shoulders shaking and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife with a scorpion imprinted on the hilt. "No…no I won't stop…I won't surrender, I won't be cast down no matter how strong the opponent. If I can't survive against you I can never beat Dalin! Therefore I'll survive and fight you with all my strength, with all the power of my blood, the blood that he once spilled! I pledge by my blood, the blood of my family, that I won't lose here!"

He dragged the knife across his left palm, opening it and letting it pump blood out. He clenched his hand tightly shut and imagined the cut that rested on Dalin's own left hand. _'Dalin…my hand and yours both bleed. This sign of the connection of blood is a sign of the eternal promise I have to take vengeance upon you. As long as there is a trace of my blood left I will not stop. This is far from over between you and I, so don't let your blood be your downfall! Fight me so that we might spill each other's blood and find out which of us deserves to be dead!'_

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_"I bet my soul and my body to Ammut. It can devour me completely should I lose." There was an additional pause, Osiris' head hovering in place as if considering something. Finally it spoke._

_**YOUR BET HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. TO THE WINNER GO THE SPOILS.**_

_Osiris' head lowered back down, completing the wide platform again. The far end of the platform shimmered as a shape approached out of the nothingness, its form and appearance familiar to Dalin. He had seen this monster before. _

_"It was always my duty to take the souls that were determined as evil and consume them, to make sure they didn't end up here. I consumed that darkness but was never affected by it, for I am a demon." They were words he had heard before, back then from the same voice as he heard it in now. Nearly identical to his own, but harsher, dryer. _

_Ammut took on the appearance it had the last time Dalin had seen it. Its body was identical to Dalin's, but the neck was longer than normal and the mouth was wide and grinning full of razor teeth. "Hello Dalin. Still frightened of me?"_

_Dalin shook his head, surprised at how calm he was. He had expected excitement of some form, maybe even fear at the risk, but there was nothing but calm and readiness. "What is there to fear? All that you are is the essence within me, the demon Ammut."_

_"My own words thrown back at me, how amusing of you. Are you ready to face me, to face the challenge? You can still back out, but if you do you will never have the chance again." In response Dalin raised his left arm and a swarm of angel feathers wrapped it around it, forming into a pure white wing extending off his arm with just two openings on it, one for the deck and the other for his cemetery. His deck was already in place. (DLP: 4000)_

_Ammut chuckled, the sound clicking harshly out of that fanged mouth. He gave his own response in form of lifting up his right arm, which was surrounded by swarming black feathers. They merged into one pure black wing, otherwise identical to Dalin's. Its deck was also in place. "Eager to die, as always." (ALP: 4000)_

_Dalin quirked an eyebrow at that flippant comment. "As always?"_

_The demon wagged a long finger at him, his slotted red eyes showing his amusement. "No telling unless you defeat me first. So face me Dalin, if you can!"_

Both opposites drew their cards, Ammut drawing six while Dalin drew five. The demon sneered, showing off its fangs as it picked up one of its cards and laid it down. "One monster in defense mode. And since I think I'll start things slow, so you can go."

Dalin drew and held out the card instantly without registering it. "Activate magic card, Choice of Fate. You may choose one card in my hand, and if it is a monster it is special summoned to the field. Take your pick."

Ammut casually pointed to the card on the far left, and Dalin took it and placed it down onto his angelic duel disk. "You have special summoned for me my Titan of Obelisk(3000/3000)! Now my beast, attack his defense monster with Titan's Fist!"

The titan was at least twenty feet tall and a dark blue color, with tusks coming out of its almost demonic face. Its eyes glowed red as it raised one huge fist and then slammed it down upon the set monster, splattering it across the field. Some of the goo hit Dalin and he frowned, wiping it off. "I see. A Giant Germ(1000/100)." (DLP: 3500)

The demon smirked as two purple globes with fine hairs all over them appeared in the place of the set monster. "As you obviously know when a Giant Germ is destroyed you take five hundred damage and I get to special summon two more from my hand or deck in face-up attack mode. They make excellent direct damage monsters, swarm monsters, or tribute bait."

Dalin responded by snapping his fingers, and Titan of Obelisk raised its goo covered hand and uncurled its fist. Two tiny points of red light floated out and then up into the air over Dalin's field. "When Titan of Obelisk destroys a monster I may place Tribute Counters on my field equal to the level of the slain monster, which in this case is two."

His demonic opponent raised an eyebrow, looking interested in the duel at last. "Oh? Tribute Counters? What do they do?"

"That is for later. For now I set one card face down and conclude my turn." A tiny little card representation formed behind Titan of Obelisk, completely dwarfed by its bulk.

Ammut drew his hand once again at six cards. "Ah yes, perfect. I said that Giant Germs acted as excellent tribute bait, and I was telling the truth. I sacrifice one of my germs for Phantom Dragon(2300/2000)!"

The germ faded, and a ten foot tall dragon with a black aura around it appeared, its long neck stretching into the air as it shrieked. Of course it was a pathetic dragon when compared to what they were standing on. "Phantom? Interesting…"

Dalin's words drew a response from Ammut who seemed quite happy with his monster. "Yes, phantom. Phantom monsters are a special breed in that they can be any sub-type yet are all considered to be demons at the same time. So Phantom Dragon is a demon dragon, making him more dangerous than a normal dragon."

Dalin calmly observed the large dragon, which seemed to be sizing up his Titan of Obelisk. "I'm certain that being treated as both dragon and demon at the same time is not the only ability your monster hides. What else is it capable of?"

"No need to ask, I was about to show you! During my turn I can sacrifice monsters to Phantom Dragon in order to reduce a monster on the opponent's field by the tribute's attack points. And since I already sacrificed one, I'll just tribute the final Giant Germ to lower Titan of Obelisk's attack points." The germ hurled itself at Titan of Obelisk, its body bursting on impact. The goo that it was made of seeped all over the titan, hampering its movement and reducing its attack to two thousand.

Ammut pointed to Phantom Dragon which opened up its mouth and gathered up energy for a fireball that was pitch black. "Phantom Dragon, attack his weakened Titan with your Phantom Flame!"

The ball of black flame shot out of the demon dragon's mouth and straight for the titan, which in its weakened strength couldn't possibly fight the attack. But Dalin was unfazed and had already activated his set card. "Reveal set card, Goliath's Might. This trap sets all monsters on the field that have a base attack of over two thousand at double their base strength for the turn."

Titan and demon dragon alike began to grow, their bodies becoming double their original size. And along with the increase in bulk came a massive strength increase, Titan reaching six thousand attack and demon dragon reaching forty-six hundred. "My monster now has strength advantage, so he will counter attack with Titan's Fist!"

Ammut's fangs shone with a deadly light as he reached down and picked out one of the five cards left in his hand. He turned it around and both monsters started glowing. "My response is the magic card Alteration Reflow, which returns all monsters on the field to their last known attack points. In addition we both gain life points equal to the amount they lost or gained."

Both monsters shrunk again, returning to respectively two thousand and twenty-three hundred points for Titan and Phantom Dragon. Dalin didn't seem extremely bothered as the black fireball blasted through his monster's chest, destroying it. "Thank you for revealing your strength to me, now I understand what I am up against." (DLP: 7200)

The demon raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't appear shocked. "You were testing me to see how good I was? I'd be surprised if I hadn't been doing exactly the same thing. I must admit…you're exactly as strong as I thought." (ALP: 6300)

Both duelists matched each other stare for stare, neither flinching under the other's gaze. Without looking away from Dalin the demon Ammut played another card. "Revival of Broken Flesh will return all monsters I sacrificed this turn to the field with half their original points, as well as their ability to attack stripped from them."

Taking yet another card out of his hand the demon placed it into his black wing disk, letting it appear behind his Phantom Dragon. "I end, and during my end phase my two Giant Germs(500/50) return in defense mode."

The germs reformed out of the goo splattered on the field, but they just floated there, making no indication that they were in defense mode. But with spheres it was often hard to tell. "How long will this game of testing our strengths go on I wonder…and whose real strength is greatest. I'm eager to find out before I devour you Dalin."

Dalin drew. "In order to devour me you must prove yourself stronger, because if you prove to be the weaker of us the one who will be devoured is you. Now, I will show you more of my power and we will measure our strength!"

He slid three cards into his duel disk one after another and then took the final card in his hand and slapped it onto his angelic disk. A monster in a black robe with a blue fist on the left breast appeared a serpentine blade in his right hand. "Assassin of Obelisk(1000/1000) is my choice of monster, and he may attack up to three times during a turn. He begins by slaying your two Giant Germs!"

The assassin sped across the field and with two slashes of his sword he cut the germs in half, their essence striking Dalin and burning away more of his life points. Ammut chuckled as his opponent's life points fell. "All you succeed in doing is draining your life points. After all, that monster is much too weak to defeat my Phantom Dragon." (DLP: 6200)

Dalin wasn't the world's champion duelist for nothing, so he was completely prepared for this. He motioned with his left hand to one of the three cards he had placed into his duel disk which now showed up face-up on the field. "The first of the three cards I played was a continuous magic card called Rite of Strength. This card gives any monster on my field one thousand attack points any time it slays another monster. This means my assassin has now absorbed two thousand attack points."

Despite the situation Ammut seemed unworried as the now mighty assassin moved in and slashed its sword through Phantom Dragon's neck, slaying the demon dragon in one swift blow. "So you've managed to slay my strong monster with a weak one as well as clearing my field. You are strong, but is that really enough?" (ALP: 5600)

"I am more than strong; I am also intelligent and strategic. As such my second continuous magic card is known as Sacrifice for Sacrifice, which works just like Titan of Obelisk's effect. Since I destroyed ten levels of monsters I gain ten Tribute Counters." Ten red orbs of light floated out of the sword that Assassin of Obelisk held and joined the previous two counters, creating a total of twelve.

Snapping his fingers Ammut responded. "Really, you do all that and drain your hard in the process. Not that effective of a strategy as you will have to work your way from zero, and against an opponent of equal strength that is unwise to have any disadvantage this early."

"Strategically speaking you are correct. No general is effective without resources at his disposal, and superior generals have lost wars before based on insufficient supplies. This is what my third continuous magic card is for, Essence of Sacrificial Victims. During my standby phase I draw one card for every five Tribute Counters in play." The demon laughed, apparently delighted by how well planned out Dalin's move had been.

"You are a genius of strategy, always thinking two or three steps ahead of your opponent just as always. However, while I may not be a genius of forethought as you are, I am still an expert in military action, and most specifically reading the opponent. Though you have the ability to read the opponent very well, which gives you insight; in the area of insight my ability is superior. That is what I am, a genius of insight." With that his set card flipped face up, showing thousands of spirits flowing out of a pit in the ground.

Dalin examined the card, reading the title and the effect. He didn't comment on it immediately though. "A genius of insight you say? Then we will match our separate specialties, the ability of ultimate forethought against the ability of ultimate insight."

Ammut's fanged grin was the perfect answer and all he needed. "That is exactly what I want, to prove my insight is superior to your forethought. And here is the first step in my strategy, to see exactly how you will react. Unlimited Renewal lets me infinitely revive during the end phase all monsters that have gone to the grave this turn from my field. In other words my three monsters will always come back to me provided my trap is in play."

One by one the three chosen monsters, the two germs and the one demon dragon, all reappeared in front of Ammut, facing off against the now incredibly powerful Assassin of Obelisk. Dalin's jade eyes swept over the monsters and then refocused on Ammut. "I understood that you would revive your monsters from the start of this turn, in fact I was certain you would from the moment that you spoke of tribute bait. There was no need to explain the benefits of the Giant Germs to give me that chance to understand your future plans unless…"

The demon nodded, tapping a long finger against the side of his head. "Yes, you understand at last. I saw that you have the ability to foresee an opponent's strategy ahead of time based on tiny hints and to understand how moves must connect, so I wanted to see just how well it would work. In other words, you proved to me the strength of your own ability by understanding what I was going to do."

Dalin folded his arms across his chest and watched Ammut carefully, shifting his stance to avoid falling when the coils beneath his feet shifted. "All told, this means that in this duel the person that we must deceive in order to deceive the opponent is ourselves. Our own abilities undermine each other, making this duel a battle of intellect more than one of skill. Whoever deceives the other most successfully will be the winner."

Ammut nodded and picked up the top card of his deck, watching his opponent carefully. "Exactly! This is no duel; this is a war of two strategic thinking minds. All warfare is based on deception."

Opposite him Dalin began to speak, understanding what Ammut was speaking of. "Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

The demon chuckled, continuing from there. "Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."

Their eyes remained focused on the other person's eyes, trying to understand and follow based on the repetition of the words they knew and understood. "If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him."

"If you opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant."

"If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them."

Dalin spoke the final lines that they had been reciting. "Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."

Ammut chuckled and fingered one of the cards in his hand. Dalin took note of it, filing it away to decide on the meaning of the move. "Yes, the words of Sun Tzu. The words of the first man to write a treatise on war. I knew him, Sun Tzu. He learned from two of the most brilliant strategic minds ever to have lived. But of course if you remember, and you should, only one general should know his words. What happens when both do?"

Dalin kept his gaze steady and unflinching, and then had his gaze shift to the left corner of his eyes, noting it when Ammut's eyes flickered with recognition. But whether Ammut drew what Dalin wished out of it couldn't be said yet. "At that point it is whoever follows out on his words with greater ability that wins the day. So, why not show me if you are superior to me? Or am I the superior general?"

Without giving a direct answer to Dalin's question the demon took a card different from the one he had been fingering and held it up. "Magic card activates, Minimum Sacrifice Output. For the rest of the duel whenever a sacrificed monster's number is related, such as their attack or defense, the minimum is always one thousand. So even a monster of no attack points can be thought of as a monster of one thousand attack points when tributed for an effect such as that of Mystik Wok."

Dalin didn't blink when the two germs flew at his assassin and covered it, keeping it from moving. "By sacrificing my two germs to Phantom Dragon's effect I reduce your monster to two thousand attack points, all thanks to the effect of Minimum Sacrifice Output."

Next Ammut snapped his fingers and his dragon vanished in a flash of light, giving shape to a tall and armored monster with a black crown on its head. "Meet Phantom Monarch(2400/1000). When tribute summoned he lets me draw one card for every monster sacrificed this turn, meaning I draw three cards."

Again Dalin noticed that his monarch was not the card he had been taking note of earlier, and he didn't seem to give as much notice to the three new cards. "Since Phantom Monarch is the stronger one, he will slay your assassin!"

A black streamer of energy shot from the armored monster's fist, catching the goo covered assassin in the chest and blowing him apart. Dalin didn't flinch, as the damage was still minimal. Instead he let one of his upper teeth drag lightly against his bottom lip. "Four hundred damage is nothing." (DLP: 5800)

"Perhaps you're right. I thrown one card down to defend my monarch, and then conclude my turn. With the end of my turn comes the renewal of my two germs and my dragon." His three monsters were restored to power, all their stats again set to zero. Dalin reached for his deck and drew.

Dalin then drew two cards because of the effect of his continuous magic card, giving him three in total. He fanned them out in front of them so he wouldn't have to look away from Ammut much. _'Which of us is the superior general; that is the question. Because if what Sun Tzu said about generals is true, then this is an important battle indeed.'_

_"Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril."_

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Author's Notes: And now it has been shown that nature of the two duels.

_Next Time: Brute strength versus desire for revenge. Insight versus foresight. Rage against rage, intellect against intellect. The two sides must face each other at their best, but in the case of Dalin's battle with Ammut, it seems that determining who is at their best is an impossible task. In a duel filled with deception the specifics of war must be applied. _

_See it all in, Art of War!_


	43. Art of War

Author's Note: War is deception.

**Chapter Forty-Two: Art of War**

_Ammut nodded and picked up the top card of his deck, watching his opponent carefully. "Exactly! This is no duel; this is a war of two strategic thinking minds. All warfare is based on deception."_

_Opposite him Dalin began to speak, understanding what Ammut was speaking of. "Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."_

_The demon chuckled, continuing from there. "Hold out bait to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."_

_Their eyes remained focused on the other person's eyes, trying to understand and follow based on the repetition of the words they knew and understood. "If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him."_

_"If you opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant." _

_"If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them."_

_Dalin spoke the final lines that they had been reciting. "Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."_

_Ammut chuckled and fingered one of the cards in his hand. Dalin took note of it, filing it away to decide on the meaning of the move. "Yes, the words of Sun Tzu. The words of the first man to write a treatise on war. I knew him, Sun Tzu. He learned from two of the most brilliant strategic minds ever to have lived. But of course if you remember, and you should, only one general should know his words. What happens when both do?"_

_Dalin kept his gaze steady and unflinching, and then had his gaze shift to the left corner of his eyes, noting it when Ammut's eyes flickered with recognition. But whether Ammut drew what Dalin wished out of it couldn't be said yet. "At that point it is whoever follows out on his words with greater ability that wins the day. So, why not show me if you are superior to me? Or am I the superior general?"_

_Without giving a direct answer to Dalin's question the demon took a card different from the one he had been fingering and held it up. "Magic card activates, Minimum Sacrifice Output. For the rest of the duel whenever a sacrificed monster's number is related, such as their attack or defense, the minimum is always one thousand. So even a monster of no attack points can be thought of as a monster of one thousand attack points when tributed for an effect such as that of Mystik Wok."_

_Dalin didn't blink when the two germs flew at his assassin and covered it, keeping it from moving. "By sacrificing my two germs to Phantom Dragon's effect I reduce your monster to two thousand attack points, all thanks to the effect of Minimum Sacrifice Output."_

_Next Ammut snapped his fingers and his dragon vanished in a flash of light, giving shape to a tall and armored monster with a black crown on its head. "Meet Phantom Monarch(2400/1000). When tribute summoned he lets me draw one card for every monster sacrificed this turn, meaning I draw three cards."_

_Again Dalin noticed that his monarch was not the card he had been taking note of earlier, and he didn't seem to give as much notice to the three new cards. "Since Phantom Monarch is the stronger one, he will slay your assassin!"_

_A black streamer of energy shot from the armored monster's fist, catching the goo covered assassin in the chest and blowing him apart. Dalin didn't flinch, as the damage was still minimal. Instead he let one of his upper teeth drag lightly against his bottom lip. "Four hundred damage is nothing." (DLP: 5800)_

_"Perhaps you're right. I thrown one card down to defend my monarch, and then conclude my turn. With the end of my turn comes the renewal of my two germs and my dragon." His three monsters were restored to power, all their stats again set to zero. Dalin reached for his deck and drew._

_Dalin then drew two cards because of the effect of his continuous magic card, giving him three in total. He fanned them out in front of them so he wouldn't have to look away from Ammut much. 'Which of us is the superior general; that is the question. Because if what Sun Tzu said about generals is true, then this is an important battle indeed.'_

_"Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril."_

After looking at his three cards he held out one of them and his field started to glow. Two cards slid out of his cemetery and he showed them to Ammut. "Creation of Sacrifices allows me to remove up to four monsters from my cemetery to create Tribute Counters equal to their total level. By removing Titan and Assassin I gain eight counters."

The two cards burst apart in his hand, removed from play. Then from his hand came eight red orbs which floated up to join the other twelve he had in play. "Now I summon Priest of Obelisk(1500/1500) in attack mode."

His monster had tanned skin and no hair, but wore a dark blue robe similar to the shade of skin that Obelisk had. "Priest of Obelisk now attacks your weakened Phantom Dragon!"

The priest gestured with his left hand and a barrage of blue spears shot out of thin air at the dragon. The spears peppered the dragon's flesh and it blew apart, but since it was in defense mode no damage was done. "My continuous magic card generates six Tribute Counters to my field."

Another six orbs of light joined his other counters, giving him a grand total of twenty-six. "Rite of Strength increases Priest of Obelisk's attack points by one thousand, setting him at twenty-five hundred. And now I place a card face down and end my turn, regenerating your dragon and letting my Priest's effect activate. Two Tribute Counters are placed onto my field."

Two more orbs floated out of the priest's body, making the number now twenty-eight. Across from him the demon dragon shimmered into view, once again set at having no attack or defense points. Ammut sneered and picked up his top card. "Enjoy this little thing, the combination of my dragon's ability and my Minimum Sacrificial Output card."

All three monsters hurled themselves at the priest, blasting apart and making him shudder and fall to his knees. His attack point counter dropped rapidly until it reached zero. "Next since three monsters have been tributed for other reasons the sacrifice cost of this monster is removed, so I summon Phantom Magician(2500/2100)!"

His newest monster was almost identical in appearance to the Dark Magician, the only differences being that his hair was white, his skin a dark color, and a purple aura surrounded his body. "Reverse card open, Sacrificial Gain! This continuous trap grants me half the attack points of a sacrificed monster, meaning I now gain half of a total of three thousand!" (ALP: 7100)

Phantom Magician pointed his staff at Priest of Obelisk and Ammut smirked, enjoying what could happen. Especially when Phantom Monarch gathered dark energy into its palms. "Phantom Magic Attack!"

A blast of purple energy shot of the magician's staff and headed straight for Dalin's weakened priest. But before it could hit two red orbs shot down and absorbed the hit, shattering into a million pieces. "My own continuous trap card is called Tribute Defense, which lets me sacrifice tribute counters equal to half the level of a targeted monster in order to negate an attack."

Ammut snarled and immediately Phantom Monarch unleashed his own blast of energy. However, just like the magician's attack it too was blocked by two red tribute counters. "Quite the defense I must admit. I set up one magic or trap card and conclude my turn."

As the three eternal monsters began to reappear on Ammut's field Dalin glanced to his priest who raised one palm above his head and fired two red orbs into the air. "Priest of Obelisk's ability activates during each end phase, meaning if you only attack him with one monster each turn, I can always regenerate the Tribute Counters I have sacrificed."

Dalin drew, and then drew five more cards based on the effect of his continuous magic card. Ammut frowned, understanding the danger of the combo perfectly. As long as Dalin could generate Tribute Counters and had his Essence card then he would always have a full hand of resources. _'Clever, he's an excellent general.'_

Fanning out the six cards Dalin took note of one in particular and looked up at Ammut. The demon's eyes widened as it felt a huge pulse of power and understanding hit it. _'He's drawn it…the tormentor!'_

"Ammut, allow me to show you the true ability of Tribute Counters, the reason that they exist in this deck that revolves around the brutal power of the divine soldier. I may sacrifice four Tribute Counters in order to substitute as one tribute for summoning." As he spoke he took the one card that Ammut had felt the pulse of energy from and held it up above his head.

One by one Tribute Counters began flowing into the card and the air around them crackled with the intensity of the power that Ammut could feel coming from the card. "By offering up a grand total of twelve Tribute Counters I can bring forth the cornerstone of this deck, the Immense Divine Soldier…"

He slammed the card onto his angelic duel disk and a huge blast of lightning hit the ground in front of him. An enormous shape began to rise out of the moving coils of Osiris' body, taking shape into a hundred foot tall monstrosity of blue flesh and horns that formed a crown. "Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000) rises!"

Obelisk the Tormentor roared, shaking the field and ruffling the white robes that covered Ammut's body. "So your mighty Obelisk appears, the strongest beast in your entire deck. It will be interesting to crush it."

"Let's find out if you can crush Obelisk before he crushes you. I activate his effect, sacrificing eight Tribute Counters to count as a double sacrifice. Now he will deal four thousand points of damage to everything in play as if it were an attack, including damage to your life points!" Ammut threw up his arms as one of Obelisk's huge fists pounded down onto his field, smashing apart his five monsters and nearly knocking him off the platform. (ALP: 3100)

Ammut shook himself off and picked up his two Giant Germ cards and showed them to Dalin. "Since his effect counted as an attack my germs effect activates, dealing you a total of one thousand life points of damage." (DLP: 4800)

Dalin nearly smirked as a red aura surged around Obelisk's body and his attack counter began to soar. "In case you had forgotten, Rite of Strength now grants Obelisk a grand total of five thousand attack points, putting him at nine thousand."

Obelisk roared and then opened his clenched fist and a swarm of red Tribute Counters flew out of it. "In addition my Sacrifice for Sacrifice card grants me a total of thirty-one Tribute Counters."

As soon as those were in place the priest opened his own hands and released two more Tribute Counters, pumping up Dalin's number of Tribute Counters to a huge thirty-nine. He also knelt into a crouching position. "During your end phase your three monsters return."

Ammut smirked as he flicked a card off his deck, seeming almost unaffected by the fact that he was facing off against the god of Dalin's deck. "I'm really not frightened of your big oaf at all Dalin. In fact, I'm not worried at all about the outcome of this duel, because you are only a small part of the true self. Without your memory, what are you but a worthless shell?"

Dalin felt the cut across his palm itch as Ammut spoke but he pushed it down, ignoring it in favor of focusing on what he had to do for the duel. "Without my memory I am still Dalin Imaki Sumatin. This is no shell, but rather a piece of the whole. I am incomplete, but that will not stop me from defeating you."

The demon didn't even bother to hold back its snort of laughter. "You are Dalin Imaki Sumatin? Don't say things like that when you don't know what they mean!"

"I may not know what that name means, I may not know ultimately who I am, but I am still a person who has desires and wants. Perhaps the one who doesn't know what that name means is you." Ammut's eyes narrowed dangerously at Dalin and he swung his drawn card up into view.

"We shall see! Magic card activates, Phantom Chains!" Dalin frowned as spectral chains burst out of the ground and wrapped around the lower half of his body, keeping him in one place.

Ammut tapped the top of his two other cards, smirking the whole time. "Phantom Chains is a normal magic card that lets me select a target, you in this case, and that target cannot sacrifice for any purpose for the next three turns."

The demon tapped his cards against the side of his head, looking very smug. "According to Sun Tzu it is necessary to cut the opponent off from their resources in order to avoid a prolonged battle, for that is devastating and unnecessary. A prolonged campaign is detrimental, so it is best to defeat the opponent before attrition works upon you."

"Perhaps that is your intent in sealing my ability to tribute, and while it might seem to completely undermine my strategy you will be surprised to discover that it impairs me far less than you imagine." Ammut narrowed his eyes at Dalin and snapped up the second to last card in his hand. Dalin noticed that the only one remaining was the one that Ammut had been paying special attention towards.

A purple glow surrounded Ammut as his card came into effect, indicating that whatever it did would be beneficial to the demon. "My second card for this turn is Phantom Pangs, which places three counters on me. During each of your end phases one of them is removed. As long as I still have one of these counters on me I take no life point damage."

"Thus with these chains that bind you and the power that strengthens me I have given myself precaution in case your forces should surpass my own as well as taking effort to weaken those forces. Meaning I am perfectly prepared regardless of the outcome of my move." When Dalin merely nodded in acceptance Ammut understood that still his opponent was unworried.

"So be it, allow me to counter your own power with mine! Let me unleash the power of the demon that rests with Obelisk, a demon of unrivaled strength even amongst demons. In order to summon this monster I must tribute three demon sub-type monsters, which I have right here." Giant Germ, Phantom Dragon, and the second Giant Germ all turned into purple orbs of energy and converged in the air above Ammut.

Before placing his final card onto the disk Ammut gathered up energy from the tributed monsters, absorbing it into his body. "My own trap card gives me a total of fifteen hundred life points as gain." (ALP: 5100)

A solid purple bolt of lightning struck the coils at Ammut's feet much as blue lightning had struck when Dalin had summoned Obelisk. And as the energy gathered Obelisk himself seemed eager. "Come forth, God of Demons, God of Phantoms…."

The figure that emerged from the purple lightning was equally as massive as Obelisk and of a very similar appearance. Its wide wings were leathery and its hands tipped by enormous claws. Its face was similarly more demonic, with the horns more pronounced. "Phantom Emperor Ravel(4000/4000) rises!"

The two similar monsters faced off, Obelisk and Ravel both determined not to back down. However, there was a difference in power there. "Your calculations are off. Your hand is currently empty and your monster is five thousand points weaker than my own."

"My calculations are far from off, because I knew ahead of time that you would set up a large hand and leave it as such based on what I could intuitively tell from your features. In other words I prepared my face down card for just this purpose!" It flipped up and Dalin's hand of five cards started to glow.

"The card I had saved for this is called Reverse Reload which forces both players to shuffle their hands into their decks. Yet in a switch off from the Reload card each player draws an amount of cards equal to what their opponent shuffled in." Dalin frowned and shuffled his five cards into his deck while Ammut did nothing.

"In other words, since you shuffled nothing into your deck I draw nothing while you draw five cards since I shuffled five into my deck." Ammut smirked in response and drew five cards, completely restoring his hand.

Ammut fanned out the five cards and then held up one of them. "This card will undo the brutal power your Obelisk has gained. Min/Max switches the attack of the strongest monster on each player's field with the attack of their weakest."

Again Dalin seemed slightly bothered by the card. "I assume since you have only one monster that your Phantom Emperor is unaffected. Whereas Obelisk reduces to zero attack and Priest rises to nine thousand."

"Precisely, and since the alteration only lasts until the end of the turn, that's all I need! Phantom Emperor Ravel, attack and destroy Obelisk the Tormentor!" Ravel swung its claws in a downwards arc and slashed through Obelisk's chest. The god roared and then its chest returned to full position.

Dalin folded his arms across his chest as a card appeared, floating right in front of him. "At any point in time I can activate Divine Protection from my deck, which reduces all battle damage of monsters with the name of a divine monster in their own title to zero. In other words, even battle damage to Obelisk himself was reduced to nothingness."

The demon frowned and looked down at his hand, looking for a specific method to take in the next few turns. "Since I can't slay your monster yet I'll just set one card face down and end my turn, restoring my three immortal monsters."

As soon as his turn started Dalin began to draw card after card, until at long last he reached nine in total. "Thanks to the ability of my Essence continuous magic card because I have forty-one Tribute Counters I was able to draw eight cards."

Ammut smirked and pointed to his face down card. "Yes, that's exactly what I was waiting for. Because you now have more than eight cards in your hand I can activate Heavy Slump, which forces you to shuffle your hand into your deck and then draw two cards."

Wordlessly Dalin reshuffled his deck and drew his new and much smaller hand of cards. Then, without even the slightest word about it he held up one of the drawn card. "I activate Complete Collapse. To begin with all magic and trap cards in play are sent to the cemetery."

One by one all three of Dalin's continuous magic cards blew apart as well as his trap, followed by the two continuous traps on Ammut's field. Ammut blinked, his own intuition faltering. "Why would you destroy your combo like that?"

Dalin pointed over at the three monsters on Ammut's field aside from Ravel, the three that never died. "One of the basic tenants of war is if the opponent has a renewable resource you should cut them off from that resource, such as cutting off your infinite tribute resource in the form of those three monsters."

All three of them melted, their ooze slipping between the spaces in the coils and vanishing from sight. "You were right to guess that when my trap was destroyed the monsters it revived would also be destroyed. But that doesn't fully explain your reasoning."

"Perhaps then the superior general is myself, if your impressive intuition cannot understand my motives. Now, continuing with the effect each player gains one counter in their magic and trap zone for every card destroyed in this manner." Four blue cards formed on Dalin's field face down while two appeared on Ammut's.

"During each of our turns we may sacrifice one of these counters to draw a card, or they will sit and take up space on our field. However, due to your magic card's effect I cannot tribute any of my three counters for another two turns after this one." Ammut's brow furrowed in thought as he tried to figure out exactly how any of this benefited Dalin. Yet nothing was coming.

_'He must want his field cleared for something, but what that might be I don't know. What in the world are you up to Dalin?'_ The blonde duelist ignored Ammut's scrutinizing gaze and instead focused on the single remaining card in his hand.

"I place one card face down, and then I will have Obelisk the Tormentor attack Phantom Emperor Ravel." The giant god clenched one fist and then threw a punch at its demonic counterpart, ready to knock the demon's head off in one blow.

Ammut smirked and dropped one card from his hand into the graveyard. "I activate the Duel Presence I gain from Phantom Emperor Ravel, allowing me to discard one card from my hand to create two Phantom Tokens(1000/1000) in defense mode."

Two miniature versions of Ravel appeared in front of the giant demon, their arms crossed over their bodies. Still Obelisk's fist bore down upon Ravel, intent on destroying it. "Thanks to my Duel Presence I can also activate Ravel's effect during my opponent's phase, letting me sacrifice any number of monsters to it in order to increase his attack points."

The two tokens shattered and purple light flowed from them into Ravel, boosting its attack to six thousand. Then it caught Obelisk's fist in one clawed hand and stopped it. "Now that I've undermined your strongest creature, Ravel will counterattack!"

Ravel thrust with the other hand and its claws tore into Obelisk's chest, ripping the god in half. It didn't even make a sound as its body shattered into tiny little pieces which rained down on the field. "You have successfully bested Obelisk the Tormentor with your demon." (DLP: 2800)

_'None of this makes sense at all. He knew that even attacking would just succeed in destroying our best monsters. Yet he attacked anyways, and appears unaffected when I turned the situation to my advantage. What is he getting at here?'_ The harder he thought about it the less it made sense; there was absolutely no logical reason why he would have made any of those moves.

Ammut waited several seconds for Dalin to say or do anything else, but he did absolutely nothing. So Ammut drew a card and then glanced down at one of his two counters. It shattered. "I sacrifice one of the counters I gained from your magic card in order to draw once."

Before contemplating his own cards he made a careful count of the number of Tribute Counters on Dalin's field. Thanks to Priest of Obelisk, part of Dalin's only defense, that number was now forty-three. _'Perhaps he's waiting for something related to them.'_

Without waiting for any comment from Dalin Ammut slid one of his four cards into his graveyard and two miniatures of Ravel appeared. "I sacrifice both of my tokens in order to summon Phantom Blader(2600/2300)."

His monster was a demonic version of Buster Blader, which had black spikes sticking out of its elbows and from its shoulder armor plates. "This monster gains five hundred attack points for every angel in the opposing player's cemetery. In this case that number is zero."

The blader shouldered his weapon and glared across the field at Dalin's priest, who seemed suddenly very vulnerable. "Phantom Blader will slay your priest!"

The blader's body flickered, but it didn't seem to move outside of that. All of a sudden the priest screamed and blew apart, cut in half by an attack that had been faster than the eye could follow. "How interesting, now the path is completely clear for a direct attack. Ravel, attack Dalin directly!"

Ravel's claws swung directly down at Dalin and slammed into the ground. Ammut's eyes widened when he saw that Dalin had caught the tip of one of Ravel's claws in his bare hand and was holding it inches from his face. "I'm sorry; did you assume that you were going to finish me off?"

"But, how is that possible?" Dalin shoved with his hand and Ravel's arm jerked back and away from the duelist. Without a care in the world Dalin folded his arms across his chest and calmly met Ammut's eyes.

"Much like your Ravel, Obelisk grants me a Duel Presence separate from my own. As long as he is in the cemetery I cannot take life point damage from a monster without more base attack points than Obelisk has. In other words, unless your monster begins with more than four thousand attack points it cannot harm me as long as Obelisk remains in my cemetery." Ammut frowned as he realized that the duel was far from over, and possibly more difficult than he had anticipated.

"Turn End." Dalin reached for his disk and drew as soon as his opponent's turn came to an end.

Carefully he placed it into his duel disk and a card appeared face down on the field, only it was horizontal and in front of him. "I set one monster in defense mode and conclude my turn."

As soon as the monster appeared Ravel opened its clawed hand and a Phantom Token hopped out and down onto the ground. "Whenever you summon a monster my Ravel will generate a Phantom Token to the field. Of course, now it's my turn to show you more of my power."

Ammut drew and tossed the card into his cemetery. Again two Phantom Tokens appeared on his field. Then he held up one of his other two cards. "I'll blast you even further with my magic card Phantom Drain, which lets me sacrifice as many monsters with 'phantom' in their name on my field in order to deal you five hundred damage for each I tribute. That will be four in total!"

His three tokens and the blader all popped like balloons. Instantly purple energy leeched off of Dalin's body, weakening him and burning away most of his remaining life points. "At this pace, regardless of your Duel Presence you won't be able to win this duel." (DLP: 300)

Dalin shook his head to clear it and then resumed watching Ammut. "Is that all? Or did you have something else you wanted to do?"

"Indeed I do! Phantom Emperor Ravel, attack and destroy his defense monster!" One sweep of Ravel's claws split the monster apart, briefly revealing it to be a woman in robes similar to the priest's.

"When Priestess of Obelisk(1500/1500) is destroyed I create one Tribute Counter for every level of the monster that slew her. In other words I now gain ten Tribute Counters." Ten more orbs of red light floated up to join the previous forty-three, bringing Dalin's total to fifty-three.

"Fine, my turn ends." Ammut bit his bottom lip, his fangs drawing blood as he tried to think through the situation and figure out exactly what Dalin had up his sleeve, what he was planning.

Dalin picked up his next card and glanced up at Ammut. With an almost cocky air he tucked the card into his hands and then refolded his arms over his chest. "End turn."

The chains around his body fell off, indicating that he was no longer limited by Phantom Chains. Ammut snarled and drew, then tossed his drawn card into the cemetery, generating an additional two Phantom Tokens. "I activate the continuous magic card Unfettered Strength, which makes all attack bonuses permanent."

Ravel reached down and picked up the two tokens and crushed them in the grip of his clawed hands. Their energy flowed into him, raising his attack strength all the way up to six thousand. "Thanks to his ability and my continuous magic card Ravel now has a permanent attack power of six thousand. However, since I can't deal you damage yet, I end my turn."

Dalin drew and tucked the card in with the other. Then he looked up at Ammut and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "Tell me Ammut, what is the fourth rule of tactical dispositions?"

The question took the demon aback, but he answered immediately without thinking. "One may know how to conquer without being able to do it."

"That's correct. You are an excellent duelist with a tactical mind and the ability to intuitively understand what a person is planning. However, having those abilities doesn't necessarily mean you can use them perfectly or always do." Ammut raised an eye, not sure if he understood.

"Are you implying that I'm not using my abilities of intuition and tactical thinking correctly or at all? I've been thinking through all of your actions throughout the entire duel, coming to an understanding of what you foresee in this duel in order to counteract it." Dalin shook his head and Ammut relaxed without thinking about it. At least until Dalin spoke again.

"No, I'm not implying it. Rather I'm saying that you are overusing them, misusing them. Earlier in this duel you came up with the question what must happen when two generals both knowing the rules of the art of war enter into combat. You assumed that it was the superior one who would win…but you forgot the nature of deception." Ammut's hands clenched tightly and above him Ravel's did as well.

"What are you talking about? War is deception and this duel is determined by the general who is superior at deceiving the opponent's critical ability. My ability to deceive your foresight with my insight and your ability to deceive my insight with your foresight. What could I possibly be missing?" Dalin held up his right hand in a fist and then held up his pointer finger.

"The critical thing that you are missing is that deception is a two-way street. In order to deceive someone with the ability of foresight you must not plan your strategy ahead of time. And in order to deceive someone with the ability of insight…" Ammut's eyes opened fully as realization struck him.

"You deceive yourself! Meaning that this whole time that I've been trying to understand your move, there really was no logical reasoning behind it. You ruined your own strategy in order to make me focus on that and leave yourself truly open to strategize!" The other end of Dalin's mouth quirked up, and had Ammut not known better he would have assumed Dalin was smirking at him.

"At long last you see it, but yet you have ignored the most obvious element of this deception. The fact that the focus of the deception lay in front of your eyes the whole time." Ammut jerked his eyes down and saw exactly what Dalin was speaking of. The card that he had ignored the whole time while trying to understand the strategy.

"No…your set card was the true strategy, and I discarded a counter trap two turns ago in order to deal you damage using my Phantom Drain card. How…how are you the superior general?" Dalin responded by pointing to his set card, causing it to flip up.

Dalin's card started to glow and the red Tribute Counters started surging into it. "He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated."

The trap card was by now glowing completely red and Osiris had lifted up its head to view the outcome of the duel. "Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy."

Ammut began to laugh, shaking his head as he did so. "Truly you are as masterful as ever Dalin. The ultimate strategist, superior to any other, a master of all strategies created and even those not thought of by any others. Watching the chess game of life that you played with him all this time has been delightful."

Dalin didn't understand what Ammut was getting at, all he knew was what was about to happen. "Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory!"

He thrust out his hand and a huge blast of red light issued forth from the trap card and engulfed Ammut. "The victory was determined ahead of time based on my destiny to recover my memory, this moment has been coming for ages and it has at last come! Hand of Destiny deals you one hundred points of damage for every counter I sacrifice to it, and by sacrificing all fifty-three hundred this duel is over!"

The red glow died out and steam rose from Ammut's body. He looked slightly weak, but he also appeared overjoyed. "Dalin…at last you've done it, just like you promised you would. I've been waiting for a long time for you to defeat me and release your memories. I've been waiting for the day when my purpose would be fulfilled. Come, recover your memories and let us become Sumatin once again." (ALP: 0)

Dalin approached Ammut and stood directly in front of him, less than a foot distance between the two. "What must I do from here to recover my memory?"

Ammut reached out and put his hands on the sides of Dalin's head and pressed their foreheads together. "You have walked through shadow and fire to achieve the recovery of your memories. Now all that remains is to suffer through them all."

Under Osiris' watchful eyes a towering column of silver energy engulfed the two, becoming a cyclone of pure power.

**_CHECK MATE._**

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Author's Notes: Surprised that it ended up just a two-part duel? Well only a fool prolongs a campaign.

_Next Time: Hidden from all eyes including the owner's. They lie beneath the surface, untouched for years but always waiting to be released and to be understood. For over six years Dalin has sought his memories, and at last he has found them. But are they what he was hoping for? With his memories will Dalin be the same person, or will he be changed forever? What is the answer to his question? Who is Dalin Imaki Sumatin?_

_See it all in, Memories Hidden in Shadow and Fire!_


	44. Memories Hidden in Shadow

Author's Note: And at long last the truth of Dalin Imaki Sumatin is revealed

**Chapter Forty-Three: Memories Hidden in Shadow**

Dalin motioned with his hand for the rest of them to stand, and they did so immediately. He walked to the door and pulled it open, then looked back at Ukito and Eikyuu. "I wish to discuss more with you in private. Then we will depart immediately."

Eikyuu held up a finger and grinned broadly. "One last thing before the rest of you depart. You'll need all the strong allies you can get. In particular you'll need the aid of the Knights of Wind and Earth in order to succeed. Of course, neither will easily give their help, especially to you."

Dalin nodded and ushered everyone else out. Then he shut the door and tapped on it twice, mentally creating a barrier that would hide sound. "I have recently come across information of great significance. I want to know more about it, and whatever you can tell me about my own past."

Ukito smirked, having known this would be coming. "But of course. Unfortunately since it doesn't threaten my own existence this one will cost you. Are you willing to give me something in return for the information I can provide?"

"Of course. Whatever you want, I am willing to give." Ukito and Eikyuu exchanged glances, and seconds later Eikyuu faded away.

The red haired man focused his deep blue eyes on Dalin once again and intertwined his fingers, then proceeded to rest his chin on those fingers. "I want something of great significance that I believe only you can get me. It will not be easy, but it is the price I demand. Nothing else will do."

"Name your price."

Ukito raised an eyebrow, pretending surprise at how easily Dalin accepted without even knowing his demand. Of course he was not truly surprised, because he knew more about Dalin than the man knew himself. "I think we can do business."

The Puppeteer chuckled and with a flick of his wrist dragged a chair over to the bed. Then he propped his feet up on the back of the chair and placed his hands behind his head. "I've always wondered, being a being who is many people, what complete and utter solitude is like. I want you to agree to connect enough with me that once you experience that utter suffering of solitude I can experience it as well. For one month."

Dalin glanced at the door, not certain if someone was listening at it. "What makes you believe that I will be confined into utter solitude?"

The red haired man just shrugged, seeming almost bored. "I know a lot of things, that's my purpose for existing, knowledge. At some point on your travels, if you are alone with Ihami, that woman will poison you and seal you away."

"If I know about it why would I allow it to happen. You know I wouldn't take this deal at all unless there was a way around it. Is there?" Ukito smirked and placed one ankle over the other as he got more comfortable.

"You're a very clever man, that's obvious enough. You'll be released from your bonds by Isis, or at least a form of her. She's going to be brought back at some point, but to get that information you'd need to cut another deal with me." Dalin folded his arms and remained silent for a moment, then spoke again.

"I have no interest in the how as of yet, so I accept your deal. Now, tell me your half of the bargain." Ukito closed his eyes and leaned back even further. He seemed to be nearly asleep as he spoke.

"When the time comes and you are where you must be, then remember my words and you will know the path to the conclusion that you seek." Dalin waited patiently for the Puppeteer to finish. Clearly he wanted to be dramatic and Dalin saw no reason not to let him.

"Your blood echoes with the blood of millions, and so that link of blood will unlock the pathway to those memories that are hidden in shadow and fire. Once you are released I will meet you and tell you where you must be. That is all." Dalin nodded and stood up, completely ignoring Ukito as he walked towards the door.

"When the time comes Puppeteer, I will have my conclusion. Make sure to keep your end of the bargain."

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When finally the knock came at the door she unsteadily stood and walked to it. The instant she pulled it open something zipped past her, spinning her around. There was a shriek of joy, and when Hikari managed to refocused she was surprised at what she saw. What looked to be about a twenty year old blonde girl was latched onto Dalin's arm, grinning like an idiot.

"Senpai! I won the duel against that guardian, just like you expected me to!" Dalin looked down at her, his usual blank face there, but still the girl seemed excited. The big man reached down and patted her on the head, a shadow of a smile on his face.

"Good work Alice. I assume you all got what you went for?" Alice nodded happily, but before she was able to say anything the other two people who had come with her stepped into the room. Hikari moved away to give Isis and Rishid room to move.

Isis and Dalin looked at each other, similar quiet and focused looks on their faces. Hikari was reminded once again that these two at one point had been involved in some way, but to what degree she wasn't certain. "I have much to tell you about Dalin. In private."

Dalin stood immediately, removing Alice's hand from his arm. "I want you and Rishid to fill in Hikari on what you have learned. I will talk with Isis in the other room while you do that."

"Of course senpai, just as you say!" She saluted him, and kept the salute the whole time as he walked into the adjacent room with Isis. Once the door was closed Dalin sat down on the bed and Isis sat down on the one opposite him.

There was silence between the two for nearly a minute, and then finally Isis began to speak. "We went to the tomb just as we said and I dipped into the Well in order to gain the knowledge of how to defeat the Avatar of Apep. What I learned at first was that he can only be killed by destroying Apep. But I also learned his true role in the Apocalypse."

"Tell me, what did you learn?" Isis looked down at the bed, those horrible memories of the Avatar's running through her mind. She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts and then answered.

"The Avatar of Apep's purpose is…to guide the path of the Destroyer, the one destined to unmake the world. He lays the foundation of what will come for that ultimate servant of destruction…but that isn't all. He shares a connection with you." Dalin didn't respond. He simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"His connection with you, from what I learned, is that with the sky above your heads torn apart you will meet. And when you meet under the broken sky he is supposed to give you something, and when he does…the sky rips completely apart." Dalin stood up off the bed and looked past Isis. Then he looked back down at her, his face as cold as always.

"This was a memory of prophecy then. I assume from your reaction that you were unable to see the face that the Avatar of Apep has taken." Isis nodded.

"When I receive something from his hands the sky will rip apart, signifying the end of the world. In other words my interaction with the Avatar of Apep will be catalyst for the end of the world, is that correct?" Again Isis nodded, not looking at Dalin.

"This information cannot go to anyone else; it must be shared amongst the two of us alone. The reason is that I know of a prophecy as well, one that speaks that the path of the Destroyer can be halted only if the wife of Osiris is at his side as his servant. In other words, the wife of Osiris is you Isis." The Egyptian woman lifted her head to stare at Dalin, not quite sure if she understood exactly what he was getting at.

"I have heard the prophecy, or at least some prophecies, of this Destroyer before. Where he walks the dead rise, and the dead become his servants. And the Destroyer will also need a secret, a secret that only one person in the world holds. The secret sworn and sealed in your soul." Her eyes widened even further as Dalin stood in front of her, looking directly down.

"Ultimately that secret will be sought out, and the Destroyer will go to any lengths to uncover that secret, he would even give life to an enemy in order to achieve it." They were interrupted when a knock came at the door, and together they moved and opened in.

Dalin glanced to his right, where Hikari was looked and saw the TV. When he saw what was on the screen he sighed and picked up a white button up shirt and slid his arm into it. Once it was on, but still unbuttoned, he grabbed his duel disk off the counter and attached to his arms. "That's what I was afraid of. Coaxing her is going to be difficult."

Hikari, Isis, and Rishid all picked up their own duel disks and started for the door after Dalin. Alice on the other hand just stared at their backs in confusion. "Umm…what's going on? I don't get it."

Dalin looked over his shoulder, looked her in the eye, and then gave her a very succinct answer. "We're going to crash a movie premier."

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It was dark outside, night had long since fallen and the hotel was quiet. With a sigh Dalin got out of his bed and slipped out the door, then crossed the hallway and opened the door that he had been headed towards.

At the opposite end of the room a shadowed figure in a bed sat up and looked towards him. The familiar figure spoke. "I was expecting you sooner than this. I had been starting to think I was wrong."

"No, not wrong. I apologize." Dalin began to approach and Isis shook her head, relaxing against her pillows.

"No, there's no need to apologize. I knew this was coming and I perfectly understand." Dalin stood over her bed, staring down at her for the next few moments. There was perfect silence between them.

"Goodnight Isis. And goodbye." He pressed his lips against hers and they stayed that way for several seconds. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Finally they parted and Dalin placed his large right hand over her forehead.

His jade eyes looked deep into hers as he focused the power of the Icon of Osiris and began to pull at her innermost self. When the light went out of those eyes he drew back his hand and then pulled her head up against his chest. "You always understood me Isis, and for that I apologize. Even without my memories I still know, still feel that those who care for me, those who love me…always die at my hands."

He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, holding her even tighter against him. "The feeling of a rapidly cooling body held to my chest is somehow familiar, as if I have done it many a time. I couldn't be with you for that reason, and for the reason that I am not who I say I am."

Slowly he released her and placed her comfortably back down on the bed, pillows cradling her limp head. "I always kill the ones that I love, because that is what I am. I am a destroyer…and I always have been. That is the one thing that I have always known."

He turned away and walked to the door, pausing with his hand against the frame. "When we see each other again, my apologies will be gone. I will remain cold and aloof for your sake, just as I should be. The cold and remorseless killer, Dalin Imaki Sumatin, as always."

Then he pushed the door open and left.

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It was cold beyond all reason. The cold was not simply of the material, of the flesh, of life. It was something far deeper, something closer to the origins of all things. It was a cold that cut through flesh and bone, and bore straight into the soul like a knife. Needless to say, he began to shiver uncontrollably.

There was nothing unusual about this. Something deep within him spoke of the cold numerous times; spoke of how it was always present at times like this. However, that same voice spoke of the sweltering heat, a blaze of heat that also etched itself into the soul. There were images that accompanied the remembrance of the heat, images of a far-off place where it burned like fire during the day, and chilled you to the bone at night.

Something called out to him through the haze of darkness that surrounded him, kept him shrouded for all time. The darkness that imprisoned him within itself, kept him from seeing the light once more. Yet deep within him he knew that soon the waiting would be over, and he would once more be free to carry out his purpose.

He cried out as an intensely bright ray of light burst through the darkness, ripped at it, tore it into pieces. He fell far, and yet fell no distance at all, as the womb of darkness that had so constantly surrounded him crumbled at the touch of the light. 

Millennia, or perhaps mere moments later, he sucked in his first breath in a long time. The air that filled his lungs was just as the voice deep within him had said. The air was hot and dry, and seared him to the soul. It was exactly as he envisioned it, or maybe it was memory. Slowly his eyes opened, blinking back the light that he was so unaccustomed to, and at last he took his first, or maybe not, looks at the world around him. The first sight that greeted him was of a person, standing there above him, leaning down to give him a hand. 

He looked up at the man...no, the boy, and smiled. The boy's white-haired countenance and the golden object held in his hand seemed a strange comfort in a world that was so strange, and yet all too familiar. As he reached out to take the boy's hand he noticed for the first time that he wore nothing, nothing at all except for the silver dragon biting its own tail that connected the four fingers of his right hand, like some kind of strange ring. His hand stopped short of the boy's, and darkness fell upon him once more.

**_Wake up brother, wake up. You have slept for your time, and my turn is ended. I turn the board over to you. Enjoy the game._**

His eyes flickered open, and he discovered that he was staring straight up at the sky. He was moving as well, although he was lying down. His eyes darted around, looking for something, anything to tell him where he was.

"So, you've woken up have you?" His eyes moved backwards, and he realized that someone was sitting inches from his head. It was that boy with the white hair from before, a purple cloak flaring out behind him from the wind.

His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out but coughs. His throat was dry, feeling terribly unused. The white haired boy leaned in and put a canteen to his lips, pouring water into his waiting lips. He swallowed, feeling it slide down his throat. "Don't worry if you can't speak, that's to be expected. You must have been in the desert like that for three or four days when I found you."

His lips were cracked despite the delightfully cool water that had touched them, so speaking was difficult and painful even with his throat wetted. "Who…who am I?"

The white haired boy paused, staring straight ahead as if considering the question. He looked slightly to the left where a bald man with a ponytail was seen sitting with his hands on a wheel. The tanned bald man gave a brief nod to the boy, who then spoke again. "Sumatin. Your name is Sumatin."

"Is that…is that all of who I am? My name…" The white haired boy frowned, shaking his head as if arguing with himself. Sumatin didn't understand, he couldn't understand exactly what the boy was muttering under his breath.

"Dalin Imaki Sumatin, that's your name. As for who you are…don't you remember?" Dalin shook his head, his neck aching from even that minimal motion. Now that he noticed it he could tell that his entire body ached.

"So you don't remember who you are at all. Well…I'll make a deal with you. Help me in my task, help me get what I want…and I'll help you recover your memories. Is it a deal?" Dalin paused for only a moment to consider it, and then nodded.

The white haired boy smirked and placed one arm over the back of the seat. "Excellent. My name is Malik, and you are going to help me achieve my destiny."

_'Destiny…what is my destiny?'_

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A stone clattered from the roof to the ground, bouncing wildly on the street below. A tall blonde man stood with one foot poised at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at a building across the street. "So, is that really the place?"

"Of course it is, don't you know that? Oh, but of course you do, you always know. Isn't that right Sumatin?" The blonde man turned his jade eyes to the left, where a dark skinned man stood, looking out at the moon rather than at the building.

"It's just as you say, I know exactly what it is. Then again, you know just as well as I do. But are you really prepared for me to take this piece and position it as I see fit?" The dark skinned man rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion with one hand, as if brushing away the comment.

"Of course, it's your turn after all. I set up my piece last turn, so this time you get to choose your piece and position it, if you can that is. You question it needlessly, even when you know the rules. Are you trying to annoy me Sumatin?" Despite the question the dark skinned man had a swarthy grin on his face, which most would have found charming and disarming.

Sumatin however completely ignored it and returned to looking at the building. "Perhaps, or perhaps I just like contemplating the nature of this dangerous game that we play. It is a two-edged sword that we walk upon. Or am I wrong?"

The other man snorted at that. "Wrong? Since when are you ever wrong? Now get along, I'm hardly going to help you. And you have to know that once you've made your move I'll interfere to see that your piece doesn't move the way you foresee it."

"Of course. Let's see which of us has greater foresight. You or I. In the end I can guarantee that this piece will fall onto my side of the board." He leapt off the building and landed gracefully on the ground below. Slowly he rose from his crouch and looked up to the ledge, but the other man was already gone.

It was quiet. Night in Cairo was always quiet. Sumatin approached the building and placed his hand on the doorknob. A brief flare of his power melted the lock and he pushed it open. As he entered the building he felt a cold gust of wind from behind him, but ignored it, leaving the door open.

He looked around the central room, his green eyes trying to locate something. He paused when he saw a picture on a stand nearby, so he approached and picked it up. The picture was of a blonde man in his forties, a woman of similar age, and a young blonde boy in-between them smiling happily. "Stop right there."

Sumatin placed the picture down and looked to his left, where he saw the same middle aged man from the pictures, only he now had gray in his hair and a baseball bat in his hand. "I would appreciate it if you would put the bat down and not force me to take action."

"Get out of my house right now. Get out or I'll make you get out." Sumatin sighed and darted forwards. He caught the bat with his left hand before the other man could even take a swing with it and then threw it aside. His right hand darted into his pocket and whipped out a knife and held it out.

He backed up a few steps, knife outstretched as he spotted the woman from the picture, clearly the man's wife. She was standing just a few feet behind the man and looked absolutely terrified. "Bad luck, that's all this is for you. Go back to bed, and never report this. Then all will be well."

The man shook his head, looking scared but determined. "You can't talk to me like that, you can't be here. I've already called the police and they're on their way!" Sumatin sighed and cocked his head to the side focusing his senses. There wasn't even the faintest sign of a police siren.

_'A pity, I was hoping to catch them asleep for this. Never the less my move is clear.'_ He returned his gaze to the man, taking note of what he felt behind him. Then he darted forward, moving swiftly and fluidly, and grabbed the man by the forehead, tilting his head up. Then with one swift motion he pressed his knife to the man's throat and slid it sideways, slitting it open.

The man gurgled, grabbing at his ruined throat as blood pumped profusely out of it. "Then I'll have to make this quick. No witnesses."

Sumatin charged forwards, ignoring the fallen man as he sunk to his knees, hands still clutching his throat, eyes staring forward in horror. When that image was out of his sight he grabbed the woman's forehead and pressed it back and then repeated the act, dropping her just as quickly. "I hate it when it gets messy. So be it."

When the woman fell flat on the floor he entered the room they had come from and began rooting through the drawers. It took opening all of them, including the man's files, until finally he came across the file he had been looking for. Tucking it into his desert cloak he returned to the main room, and saw that the same blonde boy from the photo, only older was on his knees next to his parents, holding their hands. He was sitting in their blood.

Carefully Sumatin chose his words in the way that would suit the situation best. He had originally intended to say something else, but now he had to change it. "A kid. That means another corpse. Sorry kid, but you'll be joining your parents now."

He reached out and grabbed the boy's forehead, essentially palming his skull, and then pushed it back, exposing the throat. His head jerked to the side as he heard sirens coming closer. As he did so the boy tried to fling himself away, and Sumatin's mind raced to the obvious conclusion. _'Pain, a symbol of the hate, a symbol that will stay with him. Not too dangerous. The eye, the perfect target.'_

He snarled and his hand darted out, slashing with expert precision. The boy screamed in pain as the blade gouged down across his forehead, eye, and to his cheek. As the boy flopped to the ground, one hand clutching at his bleeding eye, Sumatin cast one last glance back and spoke the words he had come up with. "No time. Unlike your parents, it looks like luck is on your side."

The boy sobbed and reached out, latching onto Sumatin's waist. The big man shoved the boy away with his foot. As the boy fell his hand snagged on Sumatin's pant pocket, and one of his Duel Monsters cards fluttered out of it.

He raced around the corner and stopped, letting the sirens pass him by. Sighing he jumped straight up, shooting twenty feet into the air and landing with ease on top of the building. "Hate me, curse me, and detest me. Come and find me…Nikolas of the Desert."

Sumatin cast one last look at the building where the dead lay, their son sobbing in pools of their blood. With his features stone cold he spoke one last time. "Remember these eyes, and remember these hands that took your parents and took your eye. For as long as there is blood in your body, never stop coming after me."

Looking up at the moon he smirked, his jade eyes glinting. "Your move."

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"Guten Abend. Wie tun Sie Kameraden? Genießen der Festlichkeiten?" The question came from a short man in an almost military uniform with dark hair. He was staring straight ahead at men and women dancing, his hands clasped behind his back.

Standing directly behind him was a tall man in a black uniform with combed back blonde hair and jade eyes. He too had his hands tightly clasped behind his back. He looked forwards as well when he replied to the short mustachioed man. "Nicht fragen Sie sinnlosen Fragen Avatara. Oder sollte ich Sie anrufen meinen Führer?"

The shorter man's lips curled upwards in a taunt smile when he heard those words. When he spoke he shifted languages seamlessly, moving to one that none but they would understand. "Hearing you call me that reminds me that you honestly do have a sense of humor. Of course only I know you well enough to understand it, isn't that right Sumatin?"

Sumatin didn't even blink, although the right corner of his lips was quirked up, a smile on the edges of forming. "Only you understand me, which has always been the case since that fateful night all those years ago. I came to tell you that my turn is almost up, and shortly my brother will take over."

"It will be a bother to see you go, I like you much better than I do him. Still, I don't see you nearly often enough these days. When was the last time we met anyways? It was sometime before the turn of the century, Romania yes?" Sumatin nodded, his hands still clasped behind his back.

Without missing a beat Sumatin changed the topic. "I've been wondering about this ever since you moved to your new host. Why did you choose him? Certainly you have made him successful, made him powerful, but he was nothing but a failed artist with no connections. Why?"

The dark haired man smiled smugly, giving a brief nod to a young blonde man in a soldier's uniform who snapped him a raised arm salute. "Because, if there is anything that these worms have managed to create this is worth preserving, it is music. And art comes a close second to that. It appeals to my nature, that I can turn this pathetic failed artist into an artist of my sort."

"You consider yourself an artist these days? You never mentioned anything like that the last time we meet." Again the other man smiled, giving another nod of the head to a passing couple doing the waltz on the ballroom floor.

"Yes, my art is that of destruction and pain. I exist to play the game of eternal damnation, to tilt the wheel of fate closer and closer to the end of the world. That is my art, the art of the end of the world. And you are an artist as well, for you exist to play the game as well. The game is your art, just as it is mine. Or do you think I'm being arrogant?" Sumatin frowned, and then shook his head. However he shook his head in response to a waiter offering him a glass of wine rather than the other man's comments.

"Yes, you are being arrogant. But that doesn't mean you aren't right. I suppose genocide is your style of art. I'm sure you find the name you gave your newest form of genocide rather ironic. Abschied, mein Führer." With that he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the room.

The last thing he heard before he exited was a chuckle from the man he was talking about, and his last words. "Final Solution…it is rather ironic isn't it?"

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Sumatin looked around at the countryside, admiring the trees and landscape that he saw. Just a dozen feet away a youngish man, maybe sixteen, with dark reddish brown hair was sitting underneath a tree with a smile on his face. "What makes you smile boy?"

The teenager cracked one eye and grinned up at Sumatin. "Just enjoying a pleasant day. You don't look like you're from this area, and you don't look like you're from the Continent. So what brings you here this beautiful day?"

"I'm looking for you actually. Masue Ihachi, is that right?" The teenager's smile slipped from his face and he clambered to his feet, looking ready to fight if need be.

"That's right. Who are you and what do you want?" Sumatin looked Masue up from head to toe and then nodded once.

"You're the next Third Seal; you'll live for a thousand years and exist as a chain binding a force of unending destruction." Masue cocked an eyebrow at him, obviously not following.

Without waiting for a response Sumatin placed his hand on Masue's chest and red light flared around the teenager's body, engulfing him in the energy. Masue fell on his butt, looking weak and disoriented. Sumatin kneeled down and looked Masue in the eye. "You've taken this job for the rest of your life. Rule number one, you can never have children. The results would be disastrous…"

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Two groups of seven stood opposite each other. One wore fanciful robes in various different colors, six of them standing in front of a throne. Upon the throne was a man roughly in his fifties with a thick beard and graying hair. The circlet around his head and the throne he sat upon declared him as Pharaoh. The six in front of him were his High Priests.

The group of seven in front of them were The Seven, the servants of the gods who followed the god's words directly in this plane. Each one was dressed in simple white robes, speaking of the honor they held for their gods by displaying only one piece of jewelry. The jewelry they had were their symbols of their respective gods, seven items forged in what appeared to be silver and gold yet were something else entirely. These items granted them great power.

In front of The Seven stood a bronze skinned man of over six feet in height, making him easily the tallest person in the room. His large and muscular body seemed slightly lessened in his loose robes, but there was still something dangerous about him. His long white blonde hair hung about half way down his back. "Great Pharaoh, we require soldiers to help us defend against an attack by those The Hand will send against us. You know why this is so, please do not be foolish."

"You dare accuse me of foolishness? Tread lightly Sumatin, for you have no official position in this government. You are not even recognized in the same religious sense that my High Priests are. As for those soldiers, I will not allow you soldiers to defend a small threatened village. It is of no strategic value, and its worthiness to the gods is determined by my priests, not by you." He had risen to his feet while speaking, a vain attempt to add more authority to his words by seeming taller than the blonde haired man.

Sumatin's cold eyes made the Pharaoh shudder on the inside. He could never stand to stare the man directly in the eyes for very long, there was just something unnatural in them. "We The Seven will defend the village with our Ka, however we require a legion of soldiers to stop the onslaught of these foreigners before they make it too far into our nation. The Gods speak to us that Kurulena Village will play a critical roll in the future, and therefore we must not allow it to be destroyed by these thieves."

The Pharaoh grimaced and turned his gaze upon the High Priests, seeking their counsel. None of the priests had gotten any indication from the gods that this minor village would play any roll in their nation's future, so they each shook their heads. "My priests do not agree with this statement, and since they represent the religious nature of our society, I will not send my soldiers needlessly to their deaths in such a defenseless village. We will use the soldiers to secure a vital position where we can defend against any attack. This city cannot be breached!"

Sumatin stared at the Pharaoh for several moments more, and then he nodded briefly. He turned around, sending his cloak flaring out behind him. He stopped briefly before exiting the room, and displayed his right hand to the Pharaoh. On it was a four-fingered silver ring with the image of a serpentine dragon biting its own tail. "By the Icon of Osiris I swear that with or without your help The Seven will turn aside these thieves and prevent The Hand from gaining further ground."

Suddenly a third voice spoke up, declaring an opinion that not a single other person in the room would dare to voice. "If you do not offer up soldiers freely to us when we have proved ourselves so many times before, then you are nothing but a fool! There is nothing divine about you if you make such a foolish choice." The Pharaoh's furious gaze fell upon the most vocal and most widely known of The Seven. It was Ihami, a beautiful woman with russet brown hair in a country where reddish hair was a sign of evil. Yet she served the gods.

More over, she was the twin sister to the Captain of the Royal Guard who held his own secret. As Captain of the Medjai, her brother served as the Pharaoh's personal bodyguard, and was feared by criminals more than even the Pharaoh himself. She was also known for her beauty and for her habits with the palace guards. And of course the debacle with High Priest Kaeth. "Hold your tongue woman, or I shall have my guards remove it!"

Ihami offered only a sly smile, moving forwards so that she stood directly across from the Pharaoh. She set her hands on her hips in a cocky manner and stared at him in a cold and rather strange manner with those unusual violet eyes of hers. "The guards have had enough experience with my tongue that they wouldn't want to remove it. As for my words, I stand by them. They are true, yet I know you to not be a fool."

The Pharaoh ignored her comment about the guards, while the High Priests shifted awkwardly at the mention of habits of hers that were usually not mentioned in the open. Even The Seven rolled their eyes at her audacity. Sumatin only stared at her back with his unforgiving gaze. "You dare to spout your profane words in front of a God made flesh? You sicken me!" All eyes in the room turned to fall upon the speaker of these words.

The speaker was none other than High Priest Kaeth, a tall man whose wild hair and distinctive eyes of different colors were what made him known in the nation. That and the debacle with Ihami. Three years previous the High Priest Kaeth had requested Ihami's hand. Ihami had accepted, however later Kaeth discovered that Ihami did not keep to her vows. He was embarrassed by the situation, and his reputation was shattered.

Ihami turned her gaze upon Kaeth, and she sneered. Idly she fingered the golden disc that hung from her neck, the deadly Eye of Set that allowed her the secret power of manipulation. She could feel emotions and as long as she was stronger than the other person she could make them do what she wanted by making them want to do it. "Well what do we have here, the weak little rejected priest. You dare speak to your masters in such a manner? Get back on your belly and crawl you worm."

Even the Pharaoh was surprised at the audacity of these words. Of course they all knew that emotions ran high between these two, but never before had Ihami been so harsh with him. The Pharaoh shook his head, understanding that shortly the situation would degenerate. Kaeth grimaced at her comment. "How dare you speak to me in such a fashion? You have no position in life but that of a gossip monger and as a veritable harem girl!"

Ihami just threw back her head and laughed, her crystalline laughter echoing in the vast room. Her gaze settled once again upon the High Priest, and she calmly licked her lips. "Yes, but I'm so good at it. The problem was never me; it was just that you were so bad at it." Kaeth's eyes widened in fury, and he stepped out in front of the other priests, sweeping his arm back making the others priests step backwards.

"You won't get away with your words! If you wish to prove yourself and your strength then you will deal with me here and now! If you Seven are as strong as you believe, then you can certainly manage to handle the Ka that I will summon. Rise up!" He focused his energy upon the long distant tablet, and watched as it rose in front of him, showing the image of its creature, a tall warrior with a blade.

"With this Ka I will show you my strength. This will prove once and for all that The Seven are no longer necessary in this nation or in the world!" The creature emerged from the tablet, a powerful warrior in purple armor. His blade was a giant curved thing, capable of severing even the strongest armor. He was a strong Ka who had a special ability that gave him the advantage against dragons. This was the Buster Blader, the Ka he used for most battles.

Ihami smiled and spread her arms out to the sides, calling upon her magic. The golden disc upon her chest started to glow, and the eye symbol appeared glowing upon her forehead. She was drawing upon the magic of the disc to summon her Ka and give it strength. "I don't even need the Ka I would use in battle against others to defeat your pathetic warrior. With the power the gods have granted The Seven even a mere apprentice in our hands becomes greater than your strongest Kas!" A tablet rose upon behind her, and shimmered as the Ka within exited.

The Ka she was using was a man with blonde hair and blue clothing, holding a staff in his hand. He was a Ka who used magic, yet he was normally a nothing. A weak Ka that one such as the Buster Blader could easily crush. This was the Apprenticeship Magician, a gnat of a Ka. It was a true insult for her to use this Ka against her. "Now, shall we begin?"

Sumatin exchanged looks with the rest of The Seven and frowned as the battle commenced. He could tell by the way that Ihami was directing her Ka that she was merely toying with Kaeth, leading him on in the fight as she did with men all the time. _'She is going to win, that is without a doubt.'_

His thought proved to be true when Kaeth went down, his body smoking from Ihami's last attack. Gasping in pain he sat up and pointed one finger at Ihami and declared his intentions. "I will never surrender to the likes of you so long as my body can hold air! Let the last beating of this heart be used in any way it must to defend this kingdom, even if it is from outdated nothings such as you!"

Ihami merely threw back her head and laughed to the ceiling, completely unaffected by Kaeth's words. When she had finished her laughing she dropped her gaze to the fallen High Priest and sneered down at him. "Outdated nothing? If I and my brethren are outdated, then what does it say of the High Priests when they cannot defeat what is outdated? You are the nothing here. Your branch of pseudo-religious fools are the ones who cloud the judgment of this great kingdom!"

The High Priests stirred at these words, glaring at the attractive woman as she stood there, haughtily expressing her distaste and disrespect for the priests and their activities. Their gazes also traveled to the rest of The Seven, who stood impassively watching the confrontation. Unable to understand why she was not being reprimanded, the Pharaoh spoke up. "Sumatin! She is your charge, so command her to revoke her words!"

The tall and powerfully built servant of god turned his icy gaze upon the Pharaoh. The old Pharaoh had to force himself not to step backwards under the force of that gaze. A force so strong that he felt like prostrating himself and begging for forgiveness. That could not be the case, he did not beg nor did he ask for forgiveness! He was the Pharaoh, a god incarnate! He was the ruler of this land and would not back away from one mortal man!

"Understand this. Though your subjects may bow and scrape, prostrating themselves beneath your might, that is not what The Seven shall ever do. We prostrate ourselves only before the strength of the gods, and no Pharaoh in the history of this land has ever, nor will ever give commands to us. I serve the mighty Osiris, and I am the leader of this group. However, I do not command them, I merely a first amongst equals." A light silver glow was coming from the Icon of Osiris as he spoke, and the Pharaoh could feel the restrained magic within. More magic then he could possibly summon.

"Yet as first amongst equals your words carry weight! Inform her that to speak such words in my presence is to risk having herself arrested and thrown into the darkest dungeons of Our Kingdom!" His words now held no hint of anger, but an obvious sign of it. His fists were clenched together and shaking. Unconsciously he was drawing his magic about himself in preparation to either defend from an attack, or to attack. Sumatin stared at him levelly and shook his head in what seemed like annoyance.

"I see that you refuse to understand. The words that Ihami speaks are her own, and therefore I will not reproach her for them. To do so would be to display an arrogance and an egotism that I do not possess. No force short of the gods will halt Ihami's words if she wishes to speak them, and no prison of mortal man can hold any of The Seven. Heed my words for once Pharaoh, and understand that if we with our great strength require assistance to defeat a threat, then it is a true threat!" He spoke the words with a sharp finality, and all eyes were on him as he finished speaking.

The Pharaoh shook his head, irritated that he had no power of these people. His father had told him before he had died, that to try and bring The Seven to task was like trying to bring one of the Pyramids to task. It simply could not be done, not by any man who had ever walked the earth or would ever walk the earth. "Very well, this farce may continue."

The battle raged for only a few more minutes after that as Kaeth was running short on energy, and with one final trick Ihami summoned out a new Ka and destroyed the tablet that contained Kaeth's, thus bringing the battle to an end.

The Pharaoh made a chopping motion with one hand, a motion that declared the end of such activities. "I've had enough of such childish displays. Ihami, you may have proved victorious in this case, but I stand by my previous words. You seven will receive no soldiers from me. Now be gone from my sight!" The Seven just stared at him for a few moments, and then they all turned to go, heading towards the door.

"Is it too late? Did I miss it?" The Seven stopped at these words, turning to find a barely dressed bronze skinned man who was definitely Ihami's twin enter the room. Ihami's eyes lit up in surprise and sudden joy at seeing her twin, and she rushed to embrace him. He returned the hug, and Sumatin simply watched. His relationship with Drago was nearly nonexistent.

"Drago! You're awake at last! Oh praise the gods!" He smiled and pulled a way a little, giving her a big grin. Sumatin watched as most of the men and women in the room came to greet him and told him what had just happened. Even his nurses rushed into the room following him.

Sumatin turned away and strode out the door, calling out behind him as he walked away. "There is little time for happiness in the current situation. Spend a little time with Drago, and then we depart. The Pharaoh has ignored our pleas; therefore we must make extra haste to reinforce the defenses of Kurulena village." With these last words he was gone, exiting the room.

As he walked Ihami appeared at his side out of thin air, a technique he had taught her a year previous that allowed her to project an image of herself and interact with others through it. "So, what did you think of the play? What are your thoughts about what will happen next?"

The blonde man looked back at her and shook his head. "There will be a disaster, and you will play your part, just as I will. Even when it is all over, I'm certain that I will see you again in years to come, even if that time is thousands of years."

She laughed gaily as if he had just made a joke. "Oh come now Sumatin, I'm hardly immortal. A thousand years may be nothing to you, but that time would see even my dust cease to exist."

He sighed and shook his head, passing a hand through her projection and disrupting it, making it vanish. "You will have immortality, and you will learn just as I did that eternal life comes at great cost. I'm sorry little girl, sorry that you have become involved in this eternal game that I play."

"But it must be played, just as always."

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Author's Notes: Believe it or not this was intended to be a one-part revelation, but it turns out I can't do it in one part. So it looks like it's going to be a two part thingy.

_Next Time: Hidden from all eyes including the owner's. They lie beneath the surface, untouched for years but always waiting to be released and to be understood. For over six years Dalin has sought his memories, and at last he has found them. But are they what he was hoping for? With his memories will Dalin be the same person, or will he be changed forever? What is the answer to his question? Who is Dalin Imaki Sumatin?_

_See it all in, Memories Hidden in Fire!_


End file.
